GC men’s basketball drops defensive battle to Clayton State, 69-55

MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. (GC ATHLETICS) – The Georgia College men’s basketball team (8-8, 2-5 PBC) came up short in a Peach Belt Conference (PBC) West Divisional matchup with Clayton State University (11-4, 4-3 PBC) 69-55 in the Centennial Center Wednesday night.

The Bobcats couldn’t overcome a season-low shooting effort of 26 percent from the field (15-57), as Clayton put four of its five starters in double-digit scoring.

Junior guard Terrell Harris (Indiantown, Florida) scored a team-high 17 points in the loss, pulling in 10 rebounds for his third double-double of the season. Senior Larrentis Thomas (McDonough) nearly joined him with 10 points and eight rebounds, and junior Dwight Anderson (Minneapolis, Minnesota) finished off the double-digit scorers with 11 points, including 8-for-8 from the free-throw line.

The Lakers took the lead for good with 7:35 left in the first half on a layup by Kelsey Terry. Clayton got their first double-digit lead at the halftime horn, when Terry got another put-back of his own miss for a 31-21 lead.

Momentum carried to the second half, as a quick 9-2 run to start the second frame put the Clayton lead at 40-26, a 14-point advantage. The Laker gap reached its apex of 18 points with 2:08 remaining on a lay-up by JC Bonny.

Jamil McKee led all scorers with 18 points. Bonny finished with 15 on 7-of-11 shooting, with Terry and Dantez Bennamon adding 13 each. Terry’s effort included 10 rebounds for a double-double.

Harris’ 17 points tonight helped the junior eclipse the 700-point mark in a Bobcat uniform as he now has 710 at Georgia College.

The Bobcats are back in action Saturday, Jan. 17 at 3:30 p.m., traveling to Armstrong State University (4-8, 2-4 PBC). The Pirates most recently lost 75-62 at GRU Augusta tonight.