The South Georgia Tech Jets grabbed a quick, early lead against South Georgia State College Saturday afternoon during Sophomore Day in Waycross and didn’t surrender the lead for the remainder of the game. The Jets defeated the Hawks 60-54.
South Georgia Tech opened the game with an 11-2 scoring run and built a 30-16 lead with 5:30 left in the first half. The Hawks (23-5, 10-4) managed to cut the lead to nine points (33-24) before intermission but saw the lead grow again to 17 points (48-31) with 14:30 remaining in the game. SGSC slowly chipped away at that deficit to get to within six points (59-53) with 23.4 seconds remaining in regulation.
Shooting proved to be the difference in the game, as the Hawks struggled in all three categories. SGSC shot 28 percent from the field, 11 percent from the three-point line, and missed a total of 14 free throws. A bright spot was on the boards, where the Hawks grabbed a total of 51 rebounds.
Marquise Jackson was SGSC’s leading scorer with 13 points, eight rebounds, and four assists.
The Hawks will finish the regular season on the road with games at Southern Crescent Tech and Albany Tech. SGSC will learn its seeding for the GCAA Conference Tournament after the regular season has been completed. The top four seeds will host quarterfinal games Tuesday, March 3. The semifinal round and the championship game will be played at the highest remaining seed Friday and Saturday, March 6-7.