GREENWOOD, S.C. – Starting the Peach Belt Conference (PBC) season off on the right foot, the Georgia College Men's Basketball team (3-2, 1-0 PBC) edged Lander University (2-2, 0-1 PBC) 68-67 on the road Monday.

The Bobcats got three great defensive stops in the waning minutes to preserve a one-point lead. Freshman Chapin Rierson (Calhoun, Georgia) had a game-high 15 points, adding six boards while knocking down 3-for-7 from long range. Junior Isaac Thomas (Trion, Georgia) added 12 points and eight boards, while sophomore Kohl Roberts (Atlanta, Georgia) finished with 10 points and seven rebounds.

Georgia College battled all game long, trailing by as much as 13 with 16:08 in the second half. The Bobcat bigs helped Georgia College get back in it, as they controlled points in the paint by 38-26.

It took until 2:10 left in the game for the Bobcats to take their first lead. At the 1:05 mark was the final score of the contest, a lefty lay-in from freshman Jordan Thomas (Conyers, Georgia) for a 68-67 advantage.

On the next possession for Lander, Roberts' quick hands slapped the dribble off the leg of a Bearcat player and over the baseline for a turnover. The Bobcats ran some clock, then had the ball stripped to start a fast break in the other direction. Rierson thwarted that attempt, covering a ton of ground to swat the seemingly sure lay-in.

A missed Bobcat free-throw gave the Bearcats the ball with 15 seconds left, and they chose to hold for a final shot. After working around the perimeter and not finding any seam to work their way in, a long-distance three from the right elbow was off the mark and the Bobcats escaped with the win.

The Bobcats are back in action Saturday, Dec. 2 at 3:30 p.m., playing their PBC home opener against Augusta University.

The Georgia College Department of Athletics, two-time winners of the PBC Commissioner's Cup and the 2017 PBC Sportsmanship Institution of the Year, 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 Twitter and Facebook for up-to-the-minute reports, and visit GCBobcats.PhotoReflect.com to purchase photo prints from home athletic contests.