MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. | Zyair Greene, Tony Carpio, Aidan Kudlas, and Ian Davis all reach double-digit points as Georgia College & State University edged out Clayton State University 77-75 in a Peach Belt Conference men's basketball game Monday (Jan. 27) night inside the Centennial Center.
The night's PBC game was rescheduled from last week's winter weather. The Bobcats finally snagged their first win in the PBC as they improved 6-12 overall and 1-7 in conference play, while the Lakers fell to 6-12 and 0-8. Due to the rescheduled contest, GCSU will take a short break before taking on Augusta University in Augusta, Georgia, Wednesday (Jan. 29) at 7:30 p.m. inside the Christenberry Fieldhouse.
GCSU would maintain an early lead over Clayton State to open the contest, with Kudlas, Greene, and Davis knocking down three-pointers on back-to-back-to-back trips to the south side of the court. The Lakers would slowly dwindle the Bobcats lead, coming within one point (22-21) after Aaron Pitts' fastbreak layup with 10:08 to go. However, the Bobcats would not stand for it, answering back quickly with 12 unanswered points to open up a 38-24 lead after a Carpio layup with 5:24 remaining.
Nevertheless, halftime is for adjustments, and the Lakers showed that they made some to open the half, quickly erasing the Bobcat lead and taking their own lead at 51-49 after Emmanuel Jones's three-pointer with 14:20 left in the game. Georgia College would add another level of grittiness to their play, bouncing back quickly after their lead was erased and trading score-for-score with Clayton State as the second half went on as neither team enjoyed more than a four-point advantage.
Carpio's three-pointer from the right corner - his first of the season - with 3:52 left gave the Bobcats the lead for good at 67-66. The Lakers would tie the game at 69, but Mason Etter put GCSU up 71-69 on a a layup with 2:18 remaining. GCSU expanded its lead to three (76-73) after Davis sank two free throws with eight ticks left. DJ Wright hit two free throws two seconds later to pull within a point (76-75). Davis was fouled on the next possession, but only hit one of the two free throws to put GCSU up 77-75. Pitts was fouled with 0.5 seconds left; however, he would miss both free throw attempts and Carpio grabbed was able to grab the defensive rebound to seal the win.
Greene would lead the Bobcats in points with 17, followed by Carpio with a career-high 16, while Kudlas and Davis had 13. Carpio would also tally a career-high nine rebounds, while Greene would collect seven for himself. Carpio would also collect two blocks.
About GCSU Athletics
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
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