‘Cats can’t lose, streak now at eight
On Jan. 31, the No. 24 Bobcats faced the No. 7 Jaguars of Augusta State University.
The teams played an extremely close and high-scoring game. When the first half was almost over, the Jaguars led the Bobcats 39-38. With just four seconds left in the first half, senior guard Shaun Keaton sank a deep three to give the Bobcats a lead over Augusta State 41-38.
With roaring fans on both sides, GCSU and Augusta State continued their head-on battle in the second half. Neither team in the second half held a lead that exceeded six points. With just 10 seconds left in the game, the Bobcats were leading Augusta State 77-76, when a foul by the Jaguars led to the junior guard Ty Rowland sinking two free throws to make the final score 79-76.
The highest scorer for the Bobcats was Keaton who had a total of 23 points. Keaton was 6-of-10 on field goals, 3-of-7 on threes, and 8-8 on free throws.
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Senior guard Ken Kemp pitched in with 12 points, and Rowland and junior guard Graham Martin both scored ten points each. For the entire game GCSU’s shooting average was 36.5 percent on field goals, 35.1 percent on three-point field goals, and 90.9 percent on free throws.
On Feb. 2 in another home game, the Bobcats dominated the University of North Carolina at Pembroke Saints 91-70.
The Bobcats and Saints played a closely-contested and very physical game. At the end of the first half, GCSU led the Saints only by two, 28-26.
Senior guard Ken Kemp and senior guard Shaun Keaton both scored six points each at the end of the first half. Kemp was 1-3 on field goals and 4-4 on free throws. Keaton was 1-4 on field goals, 1-3 on 3-point field goals, and 3-4 on free throws. The Bobcats’ shooting average for the first half was 30.8 percent on field goals, 11.1 percent on 3-point field goals, and 73.3 percent on free throws.
In the second half, UNCP committed two technical fouls, the first against guard Cortez Brown. Then with 11 minutes and 30 seconds remaining, the Saints received another technical when guard Marcus Heath received a flagrant foul and was ejected from the game.
“It was a very physical game,” Head Coach Sellers said. “The referees had to call it pretty tight or else the game might have gotten out of hand.”
As the second half progressed, so did the Bobcats’ lead over the Saints. With 19 seconds left in the game, sophomore forward Reece Wiedeman hit a layup to push the Bobcats to their largest lead at 22. UNCP was able to make one foul shot to make the final score 91-70.
For the second half, the Bobcats’ shooting average was 70 percent on field goals, an astounding 90.9 percent from three-point range and 83.3 percent on free throws.
“It was an ugly game,” said junior guard Graham Martin. “They played hard but in the end we got the separation and came out with the win.”
Keaton scored the most points for the Bobcats with 23 points, including 8-of-10 from the line. Kemp scored 13 points and took advantage of the physical nature of the game, going 11-for-12 on free throws.
“Being a team was our greatest strength tonight,” Keaton said. “Sharing the ball and passing it to the open person really helped us out tonight.”
Martin, junior guard Jake Rios and senior guard Justin Brown gave the Bobcats five double-digit scorers, all finishing with 11 points. Overall, the Bobcats’ shooting average was 47.8 percent on field goals, 55 percent on three-point field goals and 80 percent on free throws.
On Feb. 4, the Bobcats, now No. 17 in the country, faced the North Georgia College and State University Saints in yet another home game, and defeated the Saints 83-75, pushing their winning streak to eight.
The ‘Cats and the Saints started the first half both playing aggressively. With three minutes and 3 seconds remaining in the first half, the Bobcats gained a ten-point advantage on NGCSU, 33-23. Even though the Saints out-rebounded GCSU 17-15, the Bobcats came off of the court at the end of the first half ahead of the Saints 38-26.
Junior guard Jake Rios led the Bobcats in scoring at half time, with a shooting record of 4-of-6 for field goals, including three for three on three-pointers, scoring a total of 11 points. Sophomore forward Josh Hurst and junior guard Graham Martin both tacked eight points each onto the scoreboard for the ‘Cats. GCSU’s shooting average for the first half was 43.8 percent on field goals, 40 percent on three-point field goals and 100 percent on free throws.
When the second half began, both teams continued to play aggressive on both sides of the court. Even though overall, NGCSU out-rebounded the Bobcats 35-30, the GCSU still managed to hold off the Saints’ comeback attempt. The Bobcats’ shooting average for the second half was 44 percent for field goals, 71.4 percent on three-point field goals and 75 percent on free throws.
Martin was the highest scorer overall for the Bobcats, with a total of 20 points. Sophomore forward Josh Hurst chipped in with 18 of his own. Rios tacked on 16 points, including going 4-of-4 from three. Keaton scored 14, including going 6-of-6 on free throws. The Bobcats’ overall shooting average was 43.9 percent on field goals, 50 percent on 3-point field goals, and 78.6 percent on free throws.
With a record of 18 wins with only two losses, the Bobcats have exceeded expectations to this point in the season. They face Armstrong Atlantic State University at home on Feb. 11, looking to extend their win streak to nine. AASU is responsible for one of the Bobcats’ two losses this season, so this should be added incentive for a GCSU victory.
“We are going to come to practice and keep trying to improve,” said head coach Terry Sellers. “We are just going to take it one game at a time and try to do the best we can.”
Slide Show available online at www.GCSUnade.com
Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Feb 6 2009. Filed under Sports.
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