Keaton’s three prevents two-game skid
The Bobcats had recently lost a close one on Saturday in the Homecoming game against the Francis Marion University Patriots.
The Bobcats, who were ranked No. 25, were defeated by the Patriots by only two points with a final score of 67-65.
GCSU and FMU both started out playing well. However, as the game progressed, the Patriots lead over the Bobcats became greater. With 3:41 left in the half, the Patriots gained a ten-point advantage on the Bobcats 32-22. When the half appeared to be over and the buzzer went off, the Patriots were leading 36-30. However, senior guard Shaun Keaton had been fouled and four seconds were put back on the clock. This allowed Keaton to make three free throws and cut the Bobcats’ deficit to three points.
The Bobcats’ shooting average for the first half was 31.3 percent on field goals, 35.3 percent on three-point field goals and 63.3 percent on free throws.
GCSU’s highest scorer for the first half was Keaton with 14 points.
“We had too many defensive breakdowns,” Keaton said. “We didn’t knock down free throws at the end of the game like we normally do.”
The Bobcats made their move early in the second half. With 16:48 remaining in the game, a layup by Keaton tied the score at 38. Then, junior guard Graham Martin sank a layup to give GCSU a 40-38 advantage.
The greatest lead the Bobcats had on the Patriots was eight points when Keaton drained a three-pointer and made the score 48-40 in favor of the Bobcats. From then on, the lead changed hands and the game remained very close.
With 1:11 left on the clock, senior forward Ken Kemp made a steal and was going up for a layup when he was fouled and pushed into the bleachers. Kemp’s knee was injured and he received medical attention for several minutes. Kemp was eventually able to be assisted off of the court.
“We’ll have to wait probably until Monday and get it [Kemp's knee] checked out,” Head Coach Terry Sellers said. “We certainly hope he will be alright because he is a very important part of our team.”
With Kemp’s absence, the Bobcats were unable to hold off the Patriots, who took the lead 67-65 and were able to pull off the win over the Bobcats.
The highest scorer in the game was Keaton. Tacking 31 points on to the Bobcat’s scoreboard, Keaton was 8-of-14 on field goals, 5-of-8 on threes, and 10-of-11 on free throws.
Keaton’s play in Saturday’s game allowed him to break a school record and tie another. He snapped the GCSU record of most three-pointers, a total of 224 throughout his career. The record was previously held by John Steensland (1996-2000). Keaton also tied with former Bobcat Aaron Clark (2004-2008), for most points scored in a single game at 31.
“It’s good, but we didn’t win,” Keaton said. “I can’t really enjoy it right now, but I am happy about it even though I am a little disappointed because we lost.”
The Bobcats were on the road on Wednesday night to play the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. The ‘Cats, now ranked No. 24, defeated the Braves 80-78.
The game started with both teams playing aggressive offense and defense. For the majority of the first half the Bobcats were trailing UNCP by several points.
The first half ended with the Bobcats trailing the Braves 39-37. UNCP outrebounded the ‘Cats 27-24. The Bobcats’ shooting average for the first half was 33.3 percent on field goals, 15.8 percent on three-point field goals and 72.7 percent on free throws.
The highest scorer for the first half was senior guard Shaun Keaton, who put 11 points on the scoreboard. Keaton was 3-of-9 on field goals, 1-of-5 on three-point field goals, and 4-of-4 on free throws.
When the second half started, the Braves continued to maintain a slight lead on the ‘Cats. Then Bobcats stepped up their efforts. With 16:01 remaining in the game, and the score tied 46-46, a layup by freshman forward Ryan Aquino made the score 48-46 in favor of the Bobcats.
From then on, GCSU remained in control of the game. With 14:18 left in the game, a three-pointer made by senior guard Justin Brown gave the Bobcats a ten-point lead, with the score 56-46.
Both teams continued to play aggressively and the Bobcats gained another ten-point lead when a three by Keaton made the score 70-60.
UNCP began to step up their effort, had an 11-point scoring streak, and gained a one-point lead on the Bobcats with the score 71-70.
With 1:05 left in the game, University of North Carolina at Pembroke made a jumper and gained the lead over the Bobcats 78-77.
When the Bobcats were trailing by one point with 14 seconds left in the game, Keaton stepped up and sank a three, winning the game 80-78.
Even though UNCP outrebounded the Bobcats 44-38, GCSU only committed six turnovers to the Pirates’ 18. The Bobcats’ shooting average for the game was 39.7 percent on field goals, 31.3 percent on three-point field goals and 66.7 percent on free throws.
Keaton, for the second game in a row, was the high scorer for GCSU. Keaton’s 20 points came on 5-of-15 field goals, including 3-of-10 on threes and 7-of-11 on free throws.
Brown seconded that effort by tacking 14 points on the scoreboard. Brown was 3-of-7 on field goals, including 3-of-6 on three-point field goals and 5-of-6 on free throws.
The Bobcats play their final regular season game on Saturday, Feb. 28 at the University of South Carolina at Aiken.
“We just have to continue to work on the things that we have been working on all season.” Head Coach Terry Sellers said. “Hopefully we can improve, do a good job and have some momentum going into the tournament.”
Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Feb 27 2009. Filed under Sports.
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