MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. | Four Georgia College & State players finished in double figures as the Bobcats extended their undefeated Peach Belt Conference record with an 84-80 men's basketball victory against the University of South Carolina-Beaufort Wednesday (Dec. 17) morning at the Centennial Center during Education Day presented by Sonic.
The Bobcats remain in first place in the PBC as they are now 4-0 in conference play and 7-2 overall, while USCB fell to 2-3 and 8-4.
GCSU will travel to Franklin Springs, Georgia, this weekend to play in the Christmas in the Springs Classic at Emmanuel University. The Bobcats will face Young Harris College on Saturday (Dec. 20) at 1 p.m. before taking on host Emmanuel (Ga.) on Sunday (Dec. 21) at 3 p.m.
The Bobcats jumped out to an early 10-7 advantage behind two layups from Jones and six free throws from
James Nichols III and
Tony Carpio. However, the Sand Sharks responded by taking control and extending their lead to as many as 15 points at halftime, fueled by seven made three pointers.
GCSU opened the second half with some newfound energy as
Khalil Green scored two early baskets to spark a 12-0 run, cutting the deficit down to just three points. From there, the game remained tight, with the Bobcats staying within five points.
The Bobcats finally regained the lead at 63-62 with 8:29 remaining following a pair of free throws from Carpio.
C.J. Jones and Green took over down the stretch, putting up 18 of the team's final 21 points over the last seven-and-a-half minutes.
Jones led all scorers with 32 points for GCSU. Carpio added 12 points and eight rebounds, while Nichols and Green each finished with 11. Green also dished out four assists.
About GCSU Athletics
Owning the top Academic Success Rate among all public colleges and universities in Division II for five consecutive academic years, the Georgia College Department of Athletics sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. GCSU Athletics has won six 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.
