by Sam Jones, Sports Information Student Assistant

DAHLONEGA- The Georgia College women's basketball team (3-1) picked up their third win in a row on Friday, beating Catawba College (2-2) 54-52 in a tight game in Dahlonega at the UNG Nighthawk Classic.

The Bobcats trailed at the end of the first quarter but tied the game up with 9:51 remaining in the second. Georgia College never trailed from that point on, stretching their lead to as much as 11 in the middle of the third quarter.

Catawba fought their way back in to the ballgame though, and entered the final quarter down only three. The South Atlantic Conference team, an NCAA Tournament participant just last year, brought the game within one with 3:27 left in the contest.

The Bobcats finished strong though, as McKenna Rushton (Gainesville, Ga.) made a late a layup to extend the Bobcat lead to three. Catawba brought the game within one again with 39 seconds left, but were unable to score again.

Two Bobcats posted career-high scoring numbers in the win, and happened to add double-digit rebounding numbers along the way.

Kadesha Gibbs (Claremont, N.C.) scored 20 points in the contest while also adding a career high 11 rebounds for her first career double-double. Rushton put 18 points of her own on the board while picking up 10 rebounds for her own first career double-double.

Gibbs and Rushton shot extremely well from the floor in their double-double efforts. Gibbs was 8-for-11 while Rushton was 7-for-11 as the pair combined for the 70 percent of the Bobcats scoring output.

Christina Thomas (Augusta, Ga.) also aided the Bobcat offense in a big way, dishing out six assists for a new career high.

The Bobcats will continue their appearance in the UNG Nighthawk Classic tomorrow, Nov. 21, at 2 p.m. against Trevecca Nazarene University (1-1). 

The Georgia College Department of Athletics, two-time winners of the PBC Commissioner's Cup, sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. As a Division II  program, Bobcat Athletics prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the teams' multiple appearances in post-season competition as well as documented academic success and community-service involvement. Sign up at@GCBobcats on social media for up-to-the-minute reports, and visit GCBobcats.PhotoReflect.com to purchase photo prints from home athletic contests.