MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – A fast start gave Georgia Southwestern early momentum, but a barrage of second-half three-pointers by Georgia College & State University proved too much to overcome as the Hurricanes fell 75-68 Saturday afternoon in Peach Belt Conference action at the Centennial Center.
Playing in front of 3,147 fans on Georgia College's homecoming, GSW (16-10, 9-9 PBC) built an early eight-point lead before the Bobcats responded and used a dominant stretch midway through the second half to create separation.
Hurricanes Strike First
GSW controlled the opening minutes, jumping out to a 14-6 advantage behind aggressive play in the paint and transition baskets from
Deonte Williams and
Amir Reaves.
Williams continued his strong scoring stretch, finishing with 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting. Over his last three games, the senior has averaged 21.3 points per contest.
Matthew Webster anchored the interior effort, pulling down a game-high 12 rebounds to go along with six points and three assists.
The Hurricanes led for nearly 12 minutes of game time and carried a narrow margin deep into the first half before Georgia College closed the period on a 5-0 run to take a 32-27 lead into the break.
Bobcats Heat Up After Halftime
The decisive stretch came midway through the second half.
After Williams tied the game at 48-48 with 12:07 remaining, Georgia College answered with back-to-back three-pointers to spark a 9-1 surge. Moments later, another pair from beyond the arc pushed the lead to double digits.
The Bobcats shot 9-of-15 (60 percent) from three-point range in the second half and finished 12-of-27 (44.4%) for the game — double GSW's six made triples.
Georgia College stretched the advantage to as many as 15 with 3:39 to play.
Late Push Falls Short
The Hurricanes continued to attack the rim, scoring 38 points in the paint and adding 14 fast-break points. Williams scored four in the final two minutes, and
JR Jacobs knocked down a late three to trim the deficit to seven.
But Georgia College sealed the contest at the free throw line, shooting 13-of-15 (86.7%) compared to GSW's 12-of-18 (66.7%).
Reaves added 18 points, while Jacobs contributed 14 points and seven rebounds.
Despite forcing 13 turnovers and collecting eight steals, the Hurricanes could not overcome the Bobcats' perimeter efficiency and second-half shot-making.
What It Means
With the loss, GSW moves to 9-9 in conference play and is now tied with Flagler for the sixth seed in the Peach Belt Conference standings with two games remaining.
The Hurricanes also fall two games behind Georgia College, which holds the fifth seed after Saturday's victory.
With the postseason picture tightening, the final two regular-season games will determine seeding — and potentially matchups — as GSW looks to regain momentum heading into March.
Next Up
The Hurricanes host the University of South Carolina Aiken on Wednesday at 7:45 p.m. It's the 5th Annual Teddy Bear Toss game where donated stuffed animals are tossed onto the court when GSW scores its first basket of the evening and the collection of animals are donated to Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital.
