Double-Doubles Lift Canes Past Middle Georgia

Double-Doubles Lift Canes Past Middle Georgia

AMERICUS, Ga. -- Jamari Dean and Jalen Cameron posted double-doubles to lead the Georgia Southwestern State University men's basketball team past Middle Georgia State University, 79-72, Saturday evening in the Storm Dome.    

How It Happened: The Hurricanes picked up the win in their home opener and improved to 2-0 overall. 

All six lead changes took place during the opening 20 minutes. Middle Georgia held its largest advantage at 20-14 with 11:02 left in the first half. The Knights maintained a six-point lead for the following three minutes until Soloman Thomas knocked down a 3-point bucket to spark a 12-0 run and put the Hurricanes out front, where they would stay the rest of the night.

GSW led 37-28 at the break.      

The Hurricanes led by as many as 13 points with 11:08 to go, but had to hold off a late Middle Georgia push as the Knights cut the margin down to five, 73-68, with 1:49 remaining. A dunk by Dean with 23 seconds left made it a three-possession game and essentially sealed the win.

GSW struggled from long range for the second consecutive game, connecting on 4 of 17 attempts (23.5 percent). The Hurricanes didn't fare much better from the charity stripe, finishing 9 of 20 (45 percent), but controlled the battle on the glass by out-rebounding Middle Georgia, 51-36, and dominated inside with a 50-28 points in the paint advantage. GSW distributed the ball much more effectively than the Knights as shown with an 18-9 edge in assists.    

Who Stood Out: Dean finished with game highs in points (20) and rebounds (12). He has a double-double in both games this season. Solomon Thomas made 7 of 12 shots, including 3 of 6 from beyond the arc, for his 19 points. Cameron scored 11 points and had 11 boards to register his first double-double of the season. All five GSW starters scored in double figures. Devon Higgs chipped in eight rebounds in 26 minutes. 

Middle Georgia (4-4) was led by Anthony Edwards with 19 points. Michael Graham scored 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds.  

Up Next: The Hurricanes entertain Albany State University (1-3) on Monday at 7:30 p.m.