MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. | A halfcourt shot from James Nichols III heroically sent Georgia College & State University into overtime against the University of South Carolina-Beaufort; however, the Bobcats fell short 91-87 during the extra time in a Peach Belt Conference men's basketball game Wednesday (Feb. 12) night inside the Centennial Center.
The Bobcats fell to 8-15 overall and to 3-10 in the PBC as GCSU dropped its third PBC game in overtime this season. The Sand Sharks climbed to 17-5 and 9-3. GCSU begins a two-game road trip, traveling first to Greenwood, South Carolina, to battle Lander University on Saturday (Feb. 15) at 3:30 p.m. in the Finis Horne Arena.
The scoring started slow for the night contest, with everything tied at 12 almost eight minutes into the game, but jump shots from Nichols and Mason Etter gave the Bobcats a five-point lead a minute later. GCSU maintained the lead well, using free throws from Aidan Kudlas at the end of the quarter to enter the half with a seven-point lead.
Kudlas knocked down another jumper to open the second half, followed by a three-pointer by Oscar Lynch to extend the lead to double-digits. However, GCSU could not hold onto the lead for long, as the Sand Sharks erased the deficit at the 13:44 mark with a jump shot by Nolan Paladugu, tying things at 45. Both teams traded leads and ties, with Kyle Polce and Tasso Sfanos of USCB knocking down back-to-back three-pointers while a jumper by Dallas Clayton and a three-pointer by Etter were the Bobcats answers.
Both teams played a game of cat and mouse throughout the rest of the half until Paladuga knocked in consecutive free throws to give USC Beaufort a 79-76 lead with a three-pointer with seven-tenths of a second remaining on the clock. Mason Etter took the inbounds pass and threw it to Nichols at midcourt, who launched the ball before the horn sounded and banked the ball off the backboard and swished through the nets to tie the game at 79 at the end of regulation.
GCSU opened overtime strong with a jumper from Kudlas, a steal from Kudlas, a jumper from Lynch, and a steal from Nichols III, but USCB would answer back quickly in the way of free throws and took a four-point lead via the free throw line with less than a second on the clock.
Nichols led the Bobcats in points with 18, followed by a spread of points from Carpio (15), Kudlas (14), Lynch (12), and Etter and Davis (9). Carpio led GCSU in rebounds with 11, cementing a double-double on the night. Etter tallied six assists.
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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