MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – Taking on the tall task of the Peach Belt Conference (PBC) leader and a nationally-ranked team, the Georgia College & State University Women's Basketball team (9-5, 1-3 PBC) lost to No. 14 Georgia Southwestern State University (12-1, 3-0 PBC) 72-48 Saturday in the Centennial Center.

The Bobcats started out hot, leading as much as 14-4 at the 4:02 mark in the first when senior Harper Vick (Marietta) knocked down a jumper on the move. The Hurricanes weathered that storm, however and posted a dominating 22-9 effort in the second quarter that put GSW in the driver's seat.

Sophomore Alexa Geary (Calhoun) tallied a team-high 15 points with four rebounds, all on the offensive glass. Classmate Alexis Figures (Buford) provided a bit of a spark late off the bench with eight points and four rebounds in eight minutes of action.

The Bobcats were out-shot 43 percent (26-61) to 22 percent (14-65) from the floor and were edged slightly in the rebounding battle 48-45. One of the major differences came in points in the paint, where GSW won 24-10.

The loss gives GSW a 37-32 advantage in the all-time series, including wins in seven straight.

The Bobcats are back in action Wednesday, Jan. 11 at 5:30 p.m., traveling to USC Aiken.

Owning the top Academic Success Rate among public schools in Division II, the Georgia College Department of Athletics sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. GCSU Athletics has won three-straight Presidents' Awards for Academic Excellence, and are two-time winners of both the PBC Commissioner's Cup and the PBC Institution of the Year Sportsmanship Award. As a Division II program, Bobcat Athletics prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the teams' continued appearances in post-season competition as well as high-level academic success and community-service involvement. Bobcat Athletics embodies the mantra of "Graduating Champions for Life." Sign up at @GCSUBobcats on all social media outlets for up-to-the-minute reports.