HARTSVILLE, S.C. — Georgia Southwestern used a dominant second-half performance to pull away from Ferrum College on Saturday afternoon, earning a 78–61 win at the DeLoach Center on the campus of Coker University in the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
The Hurricanes (2–0) were fueled by a breakout effort from
Deonte Williams, who posted the team's first double-double of the season with 18 points and 14 rebounds on 7-of-13 shooting. Williams' activity on the glass - including 11 defensive boards - proved crucial as GSW erased a halftime deficit and controlled the game down the stretch.
Ferrum (0–2) came out firing, shooting 44 percent in the opening half and building a 42-36 advantage at the break behind Gerren Jones' hot start. But the Hurricanes wasted no time responding.
GSW opened the second half with back-to-back threes from
JR Jacobs, who finished with 15 points and knocked down three triples. The second tied the game at 42-42, and moments later
Amir Reaves put GSW in front for good with two free throws. From there, the Hurricanes took complete control.
Georgia Southwestern outscored Ferrum 42-19 in the second half, holding the Panthers to just 16.7 percent shooting over the final 20 minutes. The Hurricanes owned the paint (34 points inside) and dominated the boards with a 50-33 rebounding advantage, repeatedly turning stops into transition points.
Reaves added 11 points and 6 rebounds, while
Markel Freeman chipped in 11 points, including a pair of big 3-pointers that stretched the margin to double digits. Off the bench,
Keshawn Brown Jr. delivered an efficient 12-point performance, and
Faustin Phanor added 6 rebounds and a key late finish as GSW continued to extend its lead.
Williams punctuated the afternoon with a transition dunk in the final two minutes - one of several fast break moments that highlighted a 21-6 advantage in transition scoring.
Next Up
- The Hurricanes return to action Wednesday with a trip to the University of West Alabama for a 6 p.m. EST contest.
