AMERICUS, Ga. -- The Georgia Southwestern State University men's basketball team led No. 6 USC Aiken by a basket at the half and trailed by two with less than four minutes to play, but the Hurricanes came up on the short end of a 96-89 Peach Belt Conference game in the Storm Dome on Saturday afternoon.
How It Happened: GSW turned in their best shooting night from beyond the arc this season. The Hurricanes made 13 of 24 from long range (54.2 percent). On the defensive end, GSW held the Pacers to a pair of 3-pointers (2 of 12) over the opening 20 minutes to take a 42-40 lead into the break after trailing by 10 points, 13-3, in the first 4 1/2 minutes.
Neither side could get separation in the second half. USC Aiken's largest lead of the afternoon came in the final minute of the game.
GSW (3-20, 1-16 PBC) drained 13 3-pointers for their highest tally in a game this season. While USC Aiken struggled from long range (4 of 19), they were deadly accurate inside the arc, making 74 percent of their shots (37 of 50). GSW forced two more turnovers (11-9) and made 12 of 14 (85.7 percent) from the charity stripe. USC Aiken doubled up the Hurricanes on the glass with a 40-20 rebounding advantage.
Who Stood Out: All five GSW starters scored in double figures. R.J. Sessions led the way with a season-high 26 points. Sessions made 6 of 11 from beyond the arc and added four rebounds. Kwei Lartey also turned in his best offensive output of the season with 21 points. Lartey made all seven of his free throws and led the team with five rebounds and three steals. Devin Watson connected on 6 of 7 shots and scored 17 points. Jamari Dean matched his season-high with 12 points and Quenten Taylor chipped in 11 with a game-high seven assists.
USC Aiken (22-2, 16-2 PBC) was led by Xzavier Barmore, who scored 20 of his 25 points in the second half. Barmore sank 8 of 11 from the floor and dished out four assists over the final 20 minutes.
Up Next: GSW hosts Lander University on Monday at 7:30 p.m. to close out a three-game homestand.