MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. | Jarrett Adderton hits a jumper with 14 seconds remaining to lead Columbus State University to a 61-60 victory over Georgia College & State University in a Peach Belt Conference men's basketball game Saturday (Dec. 7) afternoon at the Centennial Center.
The Bobcats fell to 3-5 overall and to 0-1 in the Peach Belt, while the Cougars improved to 7-1 and 1-0. GCSU continues its homestand with a game against Albany State University Dec. 18 at 7:30 p.m.
In a game where neither team enjoyed a lead of more than five points over 40 minutes, the teams swapped leads 14 times and saw 11 ties.
Georgia College and Columbus State traded leads throughout the first half. Mason Etter, Zyair Greene, and James Nichols III combined for four three-pointers, with Nichols cashing in two. Entering the final minute of the half, an Etter jump shot gave the Bobcats a one-point lead (28-27)Â going into halftime.
The game's score stayed close throughout the second half as well; however, the Adderton scored 17 of his game-high 30 points in the final 20 minutes. An old-fashioned three-point play for Greene put the Bobcats within one at 59-58 with 1:40 to play. Neither team would scored over the next 63 seconds until Etter sank both ends of an one-and-one free throw to give the Bobcats a 60-59 lead with 37 seconds left.
Adderton's jumper from just outside the paint gave the Cougars the lead for the final time at 61-60 with 14 ticks left. The Bobcats had one final chance to tie the game, but Nichols' baseline jumper bounced off the rim as the final horn sounded.
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Greene, Nichols, and Etter each cracked double-digit points with 15, 13, and 10 points respectively for GCSU. Georgia College scored 14 points on the second chance as the Bobcats held a 37-33 edge on the glass. Nichols led with six rebounds, while Tony Carpio, Greene and Etter had five apiece.
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.
