Georgia Southwestern's Chris Rawls scored a game-high 23 points
in 39 minutes of action against UNCP on Sunday afternoon as the
Hurricanes defeated the Braves, 68-62, at the English E. Jones
Center in Peach Belt Conference men's basketball action.
With the win GSW is now 5-10 on the year overall, while picking
up its first conference victory of the season to move to 1-4 in PBC
play. The Braves drop their fifth consecutive game to fall to 5-11
on the season with a 1-6 mark in conference.
Senior forward Brandon Thomas scored a team-high 15 points off
the bench for UNCP, with guards Shahmel Brackett and Chris Hargrove
posting 14 and 11 points, respectively. Sophomore Mike Robinson
recorded a career-high five blocks in the contest while Hargrove
pulled down a game-high nine rebounds.
GSW's Marcus Scott scored 17 points for the Hurricanes,
including a pair of free throws to help ice the victory in the
closing moments of the game. Evan Mobley led all players with five
assists directing the GSW offense.
With the score tied at 22 with 4:25 left to go in the first half
the Hurricanes went on an 11-4 run over the final four minutes to
take a 33-26 advantage into the break as Mobley hit a 3-pointer in
the closing moments of the half to give GSW the seven-point
advantage.
UNCP was able to hold the Hurricanes to just six points over the
first five minutes of the second half, tying the game at 39 on a
K.J. Cooper jumper with 14:16 to go. The two teams traded the lead
back-and-forth over the next 10 minutes, battling to a 58-58 tie
with 3:41 left in the game.
The score was still tied with 1:35 to go when Derek Smith hit a
layup to give GSW a 62-60 lead with just over a minute to play.
Thomas tied the game up for UNCP with 48 seconds left marking the
10th time in the contest that score was tied.
Rawls hit a layup of his own to give the Hurricanes a 64-62 lead
with 34 seconds to go. Pembroke could not convert on its next
offensive possession and was forced to foul to conserve time on the
clock. Scott converted two free throws and then Smith converted
another two to seal the victory for the Hurricanes.
GSW completes a four-game PBC road trip on Wednesday evening at
North Georgia.
PICTURED: Chris Rawls
PHOTO BY: Chris Fenn
Special thanks to UNCP Sports
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