GREENWOOD – Georgia College & State University placed four players in double figures, spoiling Lander's Homecoming with an 80-50 Peach Belt Conference victory over the Bearcats Saturday afternoon at Horne Arena.
The Bobcats swept the season series, improving to 15-7 overall and 9-6 in the Peach Belt. Lander fell to 9-13, 6-9. Georgia College won the first meeting 71-57 in Milledgeville, Ga., on Jan. 12.
Aaron Clark led the Bobcats with 15 points and seven rebounds, Shaun Keaton and Justin Brown had 13 points apiece, and Jay Warden added 11 points. Graham Martin and Ty Rowland each scored nine points.
Scottie Smith was Lander's only double-figure scorer with 14 points. Curtis Milner had a game-high 11 rebounds for the Bearcats, including seven offensive boards.
Georgia College made 28 of 61 shots from the floor (46 percent), 14 of 19 free throws (74 percent), and 10 of 28 from 3-point range (36 percent). Lander hit 18 of 60 shots (30 percent), only 10 of 26 free throws (39 percent), and just four of 21 from behind the arc (19 percent). The Bobcats had a 46-42 edge on the boards.
Lander's offense struggled from the outset, scoring only five points during a 10-minute span of the first half. Georgia College took advantage, using an 18-5 run to build a 20-10 lead capped by a pair of 3-pointers by Warden. The Bearcats responded with the next seven points on two baskets by Smith and a 3-pointer by Justin Mann to close within 20-17 at the 6:14 mark.
But that was as close as it would get as Clark scored twice inside and Rowland hit a 3-pointer, pushing Georgia College's lead back to nine, 29-20, with 1:42 to go. The Bobcats maintained that nine-point lead at halftime, 31-22.
The Bearcats tried to rally but couldn't cut much into their deficit. Milner's dunk on an offensive rebound left Lander still trailing by nine, 37-28, with 17 minutes left. But Georgia College responded with a game-breaking 13-1 run highlighted by Keaton's 3-pointer to build a 50-29 lead at the 12:43 mark.
Warden's third 3-pointer of the game pushed the lead to 25 points at 57-32. Chuck Eason's 3-pointer gave Georgia College its largest lead of the game at 30 points, 80-50, and that would prove to be the final margin.
