Georgia Highlands College men’s basketball beat East Georgia State 79-78 in overtime Saturday afternoon to extend their winning streak to three games. GHC now sits at 11-5 overall and 3-1 in GCAA play.
Rome native Jay’Quan Nelson scored 29 points, 5 in the last minute of regulation, including a 3-pointer to send the game into overtime. Marquin Thompson added 17, and Jordan Johnson another 13.
The Chargers used a 10-2 run to break a 27-27 tie headed into halftime and held back the Bobcats for most of the second. With 4:44 left in regulation GHC led 63-55, but EGSC battled to take a 64-63 with 1:24 left. On the next possession Nelson drove the lane for a layup to take the lead back, but East Georgia countered with a layup of their own to take back the lead with 33 seconds left before Nelson, assisted by Jah’kim Payne, swished a 3-pointer to give GHC the lead back. In overtime, the Chargers took an early lead and held on to snag the victory.
GHC returns to action Saturday on the Floyd Campus against Albany Tech at 3pm. It will be Youth Day, where all children will receive free admission.