BLUFFTON, S.C. | Georgia College & State University couldn't miss over the game's final 20 minutes as the Bobcats downed the University of South Carolina-Beaufort 93-90 in a Peach Belt Conference men's basketball game Wednesday (Feb. 14) evening at the Sand Shark Recreation Center.
The Bobcats improved to 11-12 overall and to 4-9 in the Peach Belt, while the Sand Sharks fell to 10-11 and 3-10. Georgia College will host No. 19 Lander University in a 5:30 p.m. Peach Belt game Saturday (Feb. 17) in the Centennial Center where it will also be homecoming for the Bobcats.
Georgia College, which trailed 46-39 at the half, outscored USC Beaufort 54-44 in the second half as the Bobcats shot 70.8 percent (17-of-24) from the field and 16-of-19 from the free throw line (84.2 percent).
Austin Sloan scored 14 of his team-high 21 points in the second 20 minutes, while
Brendan Rigsbee scored 13 of his 20 points and
Brady Spence added 10 of his 12 points.Â
The Sand Sharks, who led for more than 33 minutes, led by as many as eight points (74-66) with 8:31 to go, but the Bobcats used a 12-5 over the next four minutes to get within a point at 79-78 after a Spence layup with 4:58 to play. GCSU took its first since the 14:54 mark of the first half at 86-85 after
Richard Crawford III hit both ends of a one-and-one with 2:11 remaining. The Sand Sharks took the lead one final time at 88-86, but Sloan's three-pointer gave the Bobcats the lead for good at 89-88 with 38 seconds left. Sloan extended the lead to three points (91-88) 20 seconds later with two free throws. USCB got it as close as a point (91-90), but Sloan shut the door with two more from the charity stripe with 4.2 seconds remaining.
Sloan was 7-of-11 from the floor, while Rigsbee went 7-of-15. Sloan led the Bobcats, who outrebounded USCB 37-35, with nine rebounds, while Rigsbee had five. Spence, who was 4-for-4 from the floor, recorded three blocked shots.
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
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