MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. | Brendan Rigsbee and
Brady Spence combined for 43 points as the Georgia College & State University men's basketball team celebrated homecoming with a wire-to-wire 69-62 upset victory over No. 19 Lander University Saturday (Feb. 17) evening at the Centennial Center.
The Bobcats picked up their third consecutive win as they improved to 12-12 overall and to 5-9 in the Peach Belt Conference, while the Bearcats slipped to 19-5 and 11-3. GCSU concludes the homestand Wednesday with a 7:30 p.m. PBC contest against Clayton State University.
Georgia College never trailed in the game and led for all but 25 seconds. GCSU used a 6-0 run to open up a early nine-point lead (16-7) after an
Aidan Kudlas free throw with 12:19 to play in the first half.
Richard Crawford III nailed a jumper outside of the paint to give the Bobcats a 12-point lead (28-16) with 5:44 to go.
GCSU led 34-27 at the half and expanded it back to 12 points (47-35) after Rigsbee converted a Lander turnover into a fast-break jumper with 14:46 to play. Lander got it within eight points (47-39), but the Bobcats put together a 9-3 run to open up a 56-42 after a Rigsbee layup with 8:51 remaining. Lander got back into the game as GCSU went scoreless for nearly four minutes and trimmed the deficit to three points (61-58) with 2:57 to go, but Spence quelled the comeback as he made a short jumper on the next Bobcat possession. A Spence dunk with 33 seconds sealed the win and gave the Bobcats a 67-62 lead.
Rigsbee led the Bobcats with 24 points on 9-of-16 shooting, including 2-of-3 from three-point range, and dished out four assists. Spence registered a double double with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Spence, who was 9-of-12 from the floor, added two blocks and two assists.
Austin Sloan also finished in double figures with 10 points and added six rebounds and two steals.
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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