DAHLONEGA, Ga. | Richard Crawford III's three-pointer as the buzzer sounded gave Georgia College & State University men's basketball team a 73-70 non-conference victory over Limestone University Saturday (Nov. 11) afternoon at the Lynn Cottrell Arena at the UNG Convocation Center on the University of North Georgia campus.
The Bobcats improved to 1-0, while the Saints fell to 1-0. Georgia College returns to action Sunday (Nov. 12) with a 1:30 p.m. contest against North Greenville University.
In a game that neither team enjoyed more than an eight-point lead and saw seven lead changes and six tie scores, Limestone tied the game at 70 on a Zeb Graham layup with 43 seconds remaining. Each team turned the ball over on their next possession before GCSU called a timeout with 3.7 seconds. Having to go the length of the court, Crawford caught the inbounds pass from
Brendan Rigsbee 70 feet from the basket, drove down the court and banked in a three-pointer from the right wing as time expired.
GCSU led 31-27 at the half as Crawford led the Bobcats with seven points. Georgia College scored seven unanswered points to open up its largest lead of the game - eight points (45-37) - on a Rigsbee dunk with 16:32 remaining. The Saints responded with their own 8-0 run to knot the game at 45 three minutes later.
The Bobcats pushed their lead back to six points (54-48) on a
Brady Spence layup with 10:41 to go. Limestone reeled off seven unanswered points to open up a 67-64 lead on an Ayden Hickman Jumper with 3:25 to play. Spence made two free throws and Rigsbee added a layup to retake the lead for the Bobcats at 68-67 with 2:07 remaining.
Rigsbee led GCSU with 16 points and seven rebounds, while Crawford followed with 15 points and five rebounds. Spence also finished in double figures with 11 points.
Aidan Kudlas and
Austin Sloan each paced Georgia College with eight rebounds as the Bobcats held a 39-35 edge on the glass. The Bobcats outscored Limestone 40-24 in the paint.
About GCSU Athletics
Owning the top Academic Success Rate among public schools in Division II in back to back academic years, 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 the PBC Commissioner's Cup and three-time winners of 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 postseason 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 or subscribe to the
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