MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. | Alexa Geary and
Ashyia Willis combined for 40 points as Georgia College & State University rallied to defeat the University of South Carolina-Beaufort 73-64 in a Peach Belt Conference women's basketball game Wednesday (Jan. 17) evening at the Centennial Center.
The Bobcats improved to 9-6 overall and to 3-2 in the PBC, while the Sand Sharks fell to 4-9 and 0-5. GCSU returns to action Saturday (Jan. 20) afternoon with a 1:30 p.m. PBC contest against Lander University in Greenwood, South Carolina.
Willis scored 12 of her 16 points in the first half as the Bobcats stayed close, trailing 34-30 at the intermission. Willis shot 6-of-10 from the floor and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe.
Geary, who scored 18 of her season-high 24 points in the second half, converted an old-fashioned three-point play with 7:37 left in the third quarter to knot the game at 38.
Hannah Cail's three-pointer with 5:48 in the quarter gave GCSUÂ a 44-41 lead. Six consecutive points by the Sand Sharks open a 52-47 lead with just under two minutes left. The Bobcats scored the final five points of the quarter to tie the game at 52 on a Geary jumper with eight seconds. Geary went 9-of-14 from the field in the contest. The game featured 12 lead changes and 12 more ties.
The Sand Sharks opened the final quarter with five unanswered points to take a 57-52 lead, but the Bobcats ended the game on a 21-7 run to seal the victory. Geary's jumper in the pain with 3:25 remaining gave GCSU the lead for good at 64-63. Georgia College held USC Beaufort without a field goal the final three minutes and 56 seconds.
Jada Warren led the Bobcats with 12 rebounds as GCSU held a 43-41 edge in rebounds. Willis added six assists, while
Cierra Foster distributed four more. Georgia College scored 20 points off USCB's 14 turnovers. The bench for the Bobcats wored down the Sand Sharks as they outscored them 39-17.
About GCSU AthleticsÂ
Owning the top Academic Success Rate among all public colleges and universities in Division II for three consecutive academic years, the Georgia College Department of Athletics sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. GCSU Athletics has won four consecutive Presidents' Awards for Academic Excellence, and are two-time winners of the PBC Commissioner's Cup and four-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 theÂ
GSCU Athletics e-newsletter to receive the latest news, schedule updates and to interact with GCSU Athletics.
