Box Score >>>boxscore
MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. - Recording three
double-doubles, the No. 23 Georgia College & State University
men's basketball team (20-4, 13-2 PBC) edged Columbus State
University (11-13, 5-10 PBC) 77-75 Saturday, Feb. 20 in the
Centennial Center. The Bobcats reach the 20-win plateau for the
third-straight season, the first time the Bobcats have completed
that feat since 1987-1990.
Junior forward Josh Hurst (Athens,
Ga.) put up 15 points with 10 boards, and sophomore
front-court mate Ryan Aquino (Roswell,
Ga.) added an 11-point, 11-rebound effort. Senior guard
Ty
Rowland (Lilburn, Ga.) added a different kind of
double-double with 10 points and 10 assists.
Senior guard Graham Martin
(Marietta, Ga.) led the Bobcat scoring punch with 20
points, hitting 7-of-16 from the floor. Georgia College needed all
of these efforts to combat Brandon Bland netting 29 points on
11-of-19 from the floor.
Martin scored the final six points of the game for Georgia
College, including two free-throws with nine seconds left, forcing
the Cougars into shooting a three, which they couldn't deliver.
Bland cut the lead to two with a free-throw, had to miss the second
on purpose, and Aquino batted the rebound out to halfcourt as time
expired.
The Bobcats were out-shot 52 percent (29-56) to 41 percent
(27-66), but caused four more turnovers (15-11) and pulled down six
more offensive boards (19-13) to create the extra opportunities
needed to win.
CSU was led by Bland as well as 15 points from Lamar Williams,
and 13 from Donta Ridley.
The win puts Georgia College at 13-2 in the division, clinching
a PBC West title.
Georgia College hits 20 wins for the 11th time in
school history, the eighth in head coach Terry Sellers'
history.
The Bobcats are back in action Wednesday, Feb. 24 at 7:30 p.m.,
hosting the University of Montevallo for Senior Night.
The GCSU Department of Athletics, winners of the 2008-09 PBC
Commissioner's Cup, sponsors 10 varsity athletic programs at the
NCAA Division II level. As a Division II program, GCSU prides
itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by
the Bobcats' multiple appearances in post-season competition as
well as documented academic success and community-service
involvement. Sign up at Twitter.com username GCSUSID for
up-to-the-minute reports, and visit www.GCSUBobcats.com to nominate
your favorite former Bobcats and Colonials to the GCSU Athletics
Hall of Fame.
