Bobcat men struggle in PBC play

Men’s basketball team continues in-conference skid as Peach Belt Conference play reaches mid-point

Despite solid team efforts and signs of resiliency, the Georgia College men’s basketball team dropped two conference matchups to Armstrong Atlantic (7-9, 3-5 PBC) and University of South Carolina Aiken (11-2, 5-0 PBC) this past week.

Senior forward Ryan Aquino added another double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds, and junior forward Scott Ferguson added 11 much-needed points off the bench as senior Jared Holmes went 0-8 from the field against Armstrong.

The Bobcats pulled off an 11-0 run late in the first half versus Armstrong to go into the break leading 31-27. Scott Ferguson and junior guard Quin Bivens each added key buckets in order to give the Bobcats the lead and the momentum as they entered the locker room.

However, the Bobcats couldn’t carry the momentum into the second half as Armstrong grabbed the lead early and never looked back. The Bobcats struggled to contain Armstrong’s Aric Miller, who led all scorers with 22 points while dishing out five assists.

The biggest difference in the game was Armstrong’s ability to penetrate the Bobcat defense and make it to the free-throw line twice as many times (26-13) as Georgia College.

After a disappointing loss to Armstrong, the Bobcat men came home to play the USC Aiken Pacers, one the elites in the Peach Belt Conference.

The Bobcats struggled in a hard-fought 69-64 loss. 

Kendyl Wade | gcsunade.com

Georgia College stumbled out of the gate and trailed the Pacers 15-0 early. The Bobcats were held scoreless for nearly eight minutes to begin the game.

“They were really strong in their denials,” GC coach Terry Sellers said. “They were not letting us make easy catches, and they came out and really took it to us early.”

The Bobcats made a run late in the first half behind sophomore guard Aaron Robinson, who managed to penetrate a Pacers defense that became stretched. Robinson took it to the Pacers for eight first-half points in order to lead a late rally, pulling the Bobcats within nine at the break.

Georgia College came out of the break stumbling once more as the Pacers padded their lead to 55-39 with just over 12 minutes to play.

That’s when seniors Ryan Aquino and Jared Holmes rose to the occasion and fought back with a 16-0 run to tie the game with just under five minutes to play.

The game remained close until the Pacers were able to draw fouls late.

“They made big plays at the end of the game and we didn’t,” Sellers said. “We just have to put a more complete game together, and I think when we do that we’re going to be a hard team to beat.”

Holmes and Aquino lead the comeback for the Bobcats with 18 and 21 points respectively. Both were disappointed, but proud of the total team effort.

“Usually this year we have been really strong in the first five minutes of the game. … That killed us,” Aquino said. “You eliminate that, and we walk away from this one no contest. We gotta find a way to play 40 straight minutes of hard basketball.”

Holmes noted the Pacers’ press as a huge factor in rattling the Bobcats in the first-half. However, the Bobcats fixed up their deficiencies and took it to the Pacers in the final 12 minutes.

“In the second-half we were in attack mode more. I think that’s good for the future,” Holmes said. “We played well in the second half, but we just couldn’t pull out the win. As long as we believe, we’ll be OK.”

The Bobcats continue PBC play this Friday and Sunday on the road against Francis Marion and University of North Carolina Pembroke.

Posted by Chad Patterson on Jan 19 2012. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.