AMERICUS — Chris Rawls scored a game-high 23 points to lead five players in double figures as Georgia Southwestern knocked off previously unbeaten Francis Marion, 92-79, on Saturday at the Storm Dome.
GSW (5-4, 1-1) trailed by as many as 11 in the first half and led by as many as 13 in the second half.
Rawls made 15 of 18 free throws, and Marcus Scott scored 15 of his 18 points in the first half to keep the Hurricanes only at a two-point deficit (40-38) at halftime.
Damayrius Adside scored 22 points, Anthony Sargent had 11 and Evan Mobley scored 11, including 10 over a five-minute span of the second half, said coach Mike Leeder.
The Hurricanes shot 59 percent in the second half and made 33 of 41 free throws in the game. They held a 41-36 edge in rebounds and committed only eight turnovers compared with 12 assists.
“It was good for us to give them their first loss,” said Leeder. “I thought it was a really good way to start the new year.
“We got off to a terrible start, but Chris kept us alive in the first half. Once we took the lead, we never gave it up. We had different guys play really well in stretches.”
Francis Marion (8-1, 1-1) shot 39 percent in the second half and pulled to within 74-72 with Kendrick Robinson layup at the 5:55 mark. But GSW pushed it back to 81-72 thanks to free throws from Rawls and Adside.
The Patriots committed 33 fouls and had three to foul out, in large part to Rawls, said Leeder.
“When he posts up — he’s only 6-7 and 185 pounds — but he works so hard around the basket,” he said. “He’s outworking their guys, and they were subbing in one after another. Chris was the best post player on the floor.”
It was the second-straight game GSW had five players score in double figures. It heads to Columbus State on Monday night.
“We’re turning the corner it looks like, and we’re getting a better feel for each other,” said Leeder. “Hopefully when we defend and share the ball, we’ll have a chance every night out.”
Women
Francis Marion 93, GSW 79
The Lady Hurricanes led 43-40 at the half, but Francis Marion shot 64 percent over the final 20 minutes to prevail and remain undefeated at 9-0.
Brandi Burris led four players in double figures with 19 points as GSW fell to 5-4 (0-2) on the year. Nadirah Gardner and Brittany Reynolds chipped in with 15 and 13 points, respectively.
Reynolds also had a game-high 11 rebounds as GSW held a 48-38 edge on the glass.
The Lady Hurricanes travel to Columbus State on Monday. Tip is 5:30 p.m.
Local Sports
Related Photos
-
Chris Fenn
ONLINE EXTRA: GSW men topple previously unbeaten Francis Marion
Lady Hurricanes fall 93-79
- Local Sports
-
-
Pope visits Phoebe Sumter Medical Center
Americus native Leonard Pope made his first visit to the new Phoebe Sumter Medical Center, which opened on December 16, 2011. The 183,000 square foot, 76-bed facility replaces the old hospital that was destroyed by an EF3 tornado on March 1, 2007.
-
Lady Hurricanes win record-breaking game
The record-breaking 2011-2012 season for the Georgia Southwestern Lady Hurricanes continued Monday evening with an individual milestone being passed. Jessica Bivins would score her 1,000th point of her college career as the Lady Hurricanes won their NCAA Division II record 15th game as they downed the visiting Lady Cougars of Columbus State (12-9, 7-5 PBC) by a score of 77-65.
-
Led by senior Jacorbi Denmark, the Marion County boys win in thrilling fashion
The Marion County Eagles boys basketball team was flying high at the conclusion of Tuesday night’s game against the Patriots of Greenville High School. In a game mostly dominated by the Eagles, it took a last second shot to sink the hopes of the visiting Patriots.
-
Three SGTC Jets ranked in latest NJCAA national poll
South Georgia Technical College’s Khiry White, Kentavious Clowers and Phillip Flowers were all ranked individually in the latest National Junior College Athletic Association’s (NJCAA) national basketball poll this week. White and Clowers have appeared in the rankings consistently throughout January, but this was the first time that Phillip Flowers had cracked the national polls for 2012.
-
Marion County Lady Eagles drop tough home game on senior night
The Marion County Lady Eagles basketball team dropped a heartbreaking game to Region 4-A foe Greenville High School on Tuesday night in Buena Vista. The Lady Eagles battled hard the entire game and either led or had a share of the lead at the end of each of the four regulation periods. Unfortunately for the Lady Eagles, the Lady Patriots of Greenville caught fire at the right time and won the contest in overtime by a score of 57-52.
-
Early struggles too much to overcome for GSW men against Columbus State
The Georgia Southwestern men's basketball team shot 25 percent from the floor and trailed by as many as 12 points in the first half on Monday against Columbus State in the Storm Dome, digging a hole too deep to escape and falling to the Cougars, 64-55.
-
Southland boys basketball end season on region tournament loss
The Southland Academy boys basketball team wrapped up their season with a region tournament loss to Westfield at ABAC on Tuesday night. Southland stayed in the game through the first two periods, and only trailed 17-22 at halftime. Unfortunately for the Raiders, Westfield caught fire in the second half and had extended their lead to 59-36 when the game ended.
One of the bright spots in the game for Southland was Senior guard Michael Miller. Miller scored 14 points for the Raiders while holding Westfield’s best player to only 12 points, most of which came in the fourth quarter. -
Brother-sister duo lead Schley County basketball teams to a doubleheader sweep
Basketball is a team sport that requires the entire team to play together to win, but two individual stars shone brightly on Tuesday night for the Schley County Wildcats and Lady Wildcats.
-
Sumter Gymnastics bring home first places
The Sumter County Gymnastics Academy team has entered its competition season for 2012. They attended two meets in January and brought home first places awards in both.
-
Lady Canes basketball wins big on the road
Three days after righting the ship with a 19-point victory over North Georgia, the Georgia Southwestern Lady Hurricanes earned their biggest conference victory since defeating Montevallo 101-57 two months earlier. Saturday's 72-47 victory over the Georgia College Bobcats (4-16, 2-9 PBC) put another notch in GSW's PBC belt.
- More Local Sports Headlines
-
Pope visits Phoebe Sumter Medical Center
