A few seconds can be an eternity in a close basketball game. The Mariners learned that the hard way on Friday against the Mendocino College Eagles. With under 15 seconds remaining and a one-point lead, a scramble under the Mariners' basket resulted in a gift layup and foul for the Eagles. That turn of fortune ultimately doomed Marin as they failed to score in the final seconds and fell 82-79. Marin had four players in double figures led by Alfonso Murrie's 27.
The Mariners led 24-20 midway through the first half and 32-27 with six minutes remaining. Mendocino fought but could not get any closer as Marin pushed their advantage to 43-33 as the first half buzzer sounded.
The second half turned into a dog fight as Mendocino opened on a 10-4 run to cut the Mariners lead to only four points. The home team battled back and extended their advantage to 51-43, but the Eagles did not rest and tied the game up at 53-53 with 14:20 left. Marin did not back down as they responded with a 12-4 run of their own to build an eight-point advantage with 9:30 on the clock.
The Mariners led 75-66 with 4:28 left before Mendocino began their final run. The Eagles cut the Mariners lead to four with 2:34 on the clock, and 79-78 with under a minute remaining.
Mendocino had a fast break opportunity denied at the rim as the Mariners grabbed the rebound and drew a foul while in the bonus.
Julian Bryant stepped to the line with 49.7 ticks on the clock but missed the front end of a one and one. Mendocino earned a trip to the line with 32 seconds left, but they also missed their shots. The final 30 seconds were bedlam to say the least, as a 15 second sequence resulted in numerous turnovers and no shots by either team. Mendocino ended up with the ball under Marin's basket with just 14.5 seconds left. After a timeout, the final sequence unfolded.
Following the Eagles make, and missed free throw, Julian Bryant ended up dribbling the ball off of himself and out of bounds. The Mariners fouled and Mendocino split free throws to lead 82-79 with four seconds left. Marin cleanly inbounded, but Jalen Chandler's half court shot did not hit iron at the buzzer.
Murrie was tremendous for Marin with 27 points and 13 rebounds. Chandler scored 15 while Battistini added 12 of his own. The Mariners shot 48.4% on the day while the Eagles shot 50.9%. The ultimate difference was the free throw line as Marin converted just 12 of 21 while Mendocino was better at 20 of 32.
It was Marin's 11th defeat of the year against 9 victories. Their record in the Bay Valley Conference is 3-6 with seven games remaining.
