The South Georgia State College Hawks took advantage of clutch shooting in the second half Saturday afternoon to pull away from the USC-Salkehatchie Indians for a 78-65 win.
It was the third straight win for the Hawks (3-0) to open the season.
“They (USC-Salkehatchie) are a good team,” said head coach Cory Baldwin. “We talked at halftime that we needed to get the ball down low more. We did that, and Jacob (Spence) hit some big shots for us in the second half. I also think our defensive pressure wore them down, because we took advantage of a couple of big turnovers late in the game.”
In a game that featured seven ties and 21 lead changes, scoring was hard to come by in the first 10 minutes. The teams combined for a total of 20 points in that span, with the Indians leading 12-8. Baldwin said it wasn’t a defensive struggle at the beginning, but more of both teams realizing the other team wasn’t going to back down.
“I don’t think you can say the first 10 minutes was all defense. I think both teams were surprised at the level in which the other team was playing,” said Baldwin. “We punched, and then they would punch back. I’m proud of how our guys responded, especially in the second half.”
Keyshaun Street led all scorers with 20 points and four assists. Tracy Hector had 16 points, seven rebounds, and 11 assists, and Jacob Spence finished with 14 points and five rebounds. All of Spence’s points came in the second half.
The Hawks play at home next weekend when they host the Applebee’s Okefenokee Classic. SGSC will face Denmark Tech Friday night at 8 p.m. and Indian River State Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. The Hawks will wrap up this current homestand Tuesday night, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. against Middle Georgia Prep.
General admission to all regular season home games is five dollars with children five and under admitted free.