The No. 19 South Georgia State College Hawks defeated the Central Georgia Tech Titans Wednesday night 71-62 in the last home game of the regular season. More importantly, the win moved the Hawks (24-4, 13-3) one step closer to clinching their first-ever regular season conference title.
Jovante’ Spivey led the Hawks with 26 points, while JeVaughn Sanchez had nine points. Cody Helgeland and Jamison Williams each finished with seven points. Helgeland grabbed nine rebounds and had two steals. Williams finished with six rebounds and three assists.
The Hawks lost starter Demontrez Austin in the first minute of the game to an injury. Head coach Cory Baldwin was pleased with how the bench stepped up in Austin’s absence.
“It was tough for Demontrez to go out early,” he said. “But DeAundray (Rhett), Russell (Keyhea), and Jamison (Williams) really stepped up to fill that void.”
The Hawks were outrebounded 36-30 and only shot 50 percent from the free throw line. The difference, Baldwin said, was defense and three-point shooting. SGSC forced 20 turnovers and shot 41 percent from the three-point line.
Tonight’s win sets up an end-of-the-season showdown in Rome, Ga. Saturday afternoon as the Hawks meet Georgia Highlands. SGSC defeated Georgia Highlands Dec. 6 at home 89-74.
A win Saturday will give the Hawks their first regular season conference championship and the top seed in the upcoming GCAA Tournament. Tip for the game is set for 2 p.m.
-Submitted by South Georgia State College