MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – The Georgia College Men's Basketball team (7-9, 4-4 PBC) evened its Peach Belt Conference (PBC) record with a strong second half against Georgia Southwestern State University (7-6, 2-5 PBC), leading to an 86-83 Bobcat win Saturday at the Centennial Center.  

The Bobcats trailed 44-31 heading into the break, but came out of halftime firing on all cylinders. GC combined strong defense and lights-out shooting to go on a 14-4 run out of the halftime, leading 58-48 with 13:39 remaining in the game.

GC Men's Hoops would not surrender that lead, although it got tight a few times down the stretch. GSW cut the lead to one possession three times in the final 1:18. That included a one-point advantage at 84-83 when Josh Press made all three free-throws after getting fouled beyond the arc with six seconds left. Bobcat junior Jordan Thomas (Conyers) was fouled on the ensuing possession, hit both free throws and a potential game-tying three for the Hurricanes fell wide.

Thomas led the Bobcats with 20 points, his eighth 20-plus scoring game this season and 25^th in his career. He had 18 of the 20 in the game's second half.  

Classmate Justin Cave (Savannah) put in a season-best 17 points, hitting 4-for-9 from beyond the arc. Sophomore forward Chris Parks (Buford) had 14 points, including 10 in the first half to lead the Bobcats before the break. Classmate Wesley Simpson (Deland, Florida/Union Grove HS (Ga.)) added 12 points with seven boards and sophomore Christian Koneman (Chatsworth) missed just one of his four attempts on the day, finishing with 10 points off the bench.

The Bobcats are back in action Wednesday, Jan. 22 at 7:30 p.m., traveling to Francis Marion University (3-11, 2-5 PBC). The Patriots most recently lost at home to Clayton State University 82-79 today.

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.