ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — Georgia Southwestern's furious final-minute comeback — fueled by three
JR Jacobs three-pointers in the last 19 seconds — brought the Hurricanes to the brink of a stunning finish, but the rally came up one point short as GSW fell 71–70 at Flagler on Wednesday night.
The Hurricanes fall to 6-3 overall and 1-2 in Peach Belt play, while their road struggles in St. Augustine continue. GSW has now lost three straight at Flagler and sits at 3-11 all-time in Flagler Gym during the Canes NCAA era.
Jacobs Delivers Again
Junior guard
JR Jacobs continued his breakout season with his third 20-point game of the year, finishing with:
- 20 points
- 4-for-7 from three
- three assists
- career-high three steals
Jacobs was electric in the second half, scoring 14 after the break and nearly dragging GSW back from an eight-point deficit in the closing minutes.
Fast Start Sets the Tone
GSW came out flying, hitting five early threes and forcing six turnovers in the first eight minutes. A
Markel Freeman triple and a
Hasani Rivera tip-in pushed the Hurricanes in front 19-6, part of a first-half stretch where GSW led by as many as 13.
The Hurricanes shot 42 percent before halftime and knocked down five threes, carrying a 37-30 lead into the locker room.
Flagler Responds After Halftime
Flagler countered with a surge behind Tymoteusz Pszczola, who finished with 29 points and hit several contested jumpers to trim the margin. The Saints used a 13-2 burst midway through the second half to take their first lead at 48-47, and the teams traded blows from there.
Though GSW continued to hit timely shots — including two second-half threes from
Rafael Rubel — Flagler shot 55.6 percent after halftime and capitalized at the free throw line, going 8-for-9 in the period.
Final Minutes Come Down to One Shot
Flagler pushed its lead to nine with 1:21 remaining, but the Hurricanes refused to go away.
Deonte Williams buried a deep three to trim the margin to six, and after a defensive stop Jacobs started a personal scoring avalanche that nearly flipped the game.
Jacobs drilled a contested three with 19 seconds left, then answered two Flagler free throws with another triple at the :07 mark to bring GSW within four. The Hurricanes quickly fouled and Flagler again converted both shots at the line, setting up one final possession. Jacobs raced up the floor, rose from well beyond the arc, and buried his third three in 19 seconds as the horn sounded — but the Hurricanes simply ran out of time to extend the comeback any further.
GSW outscored Flagler 12-6 in the final 75 seconds and held the Saints without a field goal for the last 1:50, but the late push came one possession short.
Next Up
The Hurricanes return to Americus to open a four-game homestand starting Saturday at 3 p.m. against Francis Marion University.
