MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. | A career night for junior guard Zyair Greene helped propel Georgia College & State University to an 84-75 win over Albany State University in a non-conference men's basketball game Wednesday (Dec. 18) night inside the Centennial Center.
The Bobcats improved to 4-5, while the Golden Rams fell to 5-5. GCSU will continue their homestand against Belmont Abbey College on Saturday (Dec. 21) at 3:30 p.m.
Greene, who scored 22 points in the first half, finished with 33 points, eclipsing his previous high of 32 set against Young Harris College in 2023. Greene, who was 11-of-15 from the field, was 9-of-12 from long distance to set a new personal best in that category. His nine three-pointers tied him for fourth most by a Bobcat in a single game.
Georgia College maintained a steady lead over Albany State to begin the game, leading by nine (21-12) after a Mason Etter jump shot with 12:32 left; however, a 15-6 run by the Golden Bears, including three 3-pointers, helped them tie things up at 27. Greene would help propel the Bobcats to a slim lead to end the half, putting up three 3-pointers himself in the last four minutes, as GCSU led 45-43.
The score stayed close throughout the opening minutes of the second half. However, an Aidan Kudlas layup helped the Bobcats begin a 15-2 run that helped Georgia College break open the game, giving them their largest lead of the night at 64-49 after a layup from James Nichols III with 11:32 to go.
Nevertheless, Albany State was not finished without a fight as a Blaise Wallace jump shot put the Golden Bears within one (74-73) with 1:49 to play. Greene responded by promptly snagging back-to-back 3-pointers, and gave GCSU a five-point cushion (80-75) with 45 seconds remaining. An Ian Davis dunk followed by two free throws from Nichols sealed the Bobcat victory.
Davis and Nichols would also notch double-digits with 12 and 11 points, respectively. Nichols would lead the team in rebounds with eight, and Davis would lead the team in assists with six. Davis also dropped three three-pointers as the Bobcat shot 50 percent (14-of-28) from long distance as a team. Luke Krawczyk added seven rebounds and Davis collected six more as the Bobcats held a 42-30 margin on the glass.
About GCSU AthleticsÂ
Owning the top Academic Success Rate among all public colleges and universities in Division II for four consecutive academic years, the Georgia College Department of Athletics sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. GCSU Athletics has won five 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 the GSCU Athletics e-newsletter to receive the latest news, schedule updates and to interact with GCSU Athletics.
