AMERICUS - Darius Redding did a little bit of everything on Monday evening in the Storm Dome to lead Georgia Southwestern past Lane College, 78-64, in non-conference men's basketball action. Redding posted game-high totals in rebounds (15), assists (6) and steals (5) to go along with his first double-double of the season fueled by 11 points on 4 of 7 shooting.
The Hurricanes improved their record to 3-2 while Lane dropped to 0-5.
GSW distributed the ball well once again as they dished out 20 assists for the second time in four games.
The Dragons came out with a fast start on Monday, taking a 12-7 lead 5 1/2 minutes into the contest. It would prove to be Lane's largest lead of the evening.
After Colin Slotter scored a basket with 14:10 remaining in the opening stanza to pull the Hurricanes within three at 12-9, GSW looked to the long ball to eventually pass Lane. The next three Southwestern field goals were from beyond the arc, a pair from Damien Leonard sandwiched one from Deric Rudolph and the Hurricanes led 18-14 with 10:17 left until halftime.
GSW opened its largest lead of the opening period at the 5:55 mark when Redding made a layup to put the Hurricanes ahead 25-18. Lane answered with an 11-3 run to regain the advantage with 1:34 to go in the half.
3-pointers from Leonard and Kevin Burnell over the final 1:19 helped GSW take the lead, 35-33, into the locker room at the break.
The Dragons opened the second half with a pair of free throws and Cameron Venus followed with a basket at the 18:59 mark to put GSW back on top, 37-35. The Hurricanes did not reliquish the lead the rest of the way.
GSW utilized a 16-4 run over the middle of the period to build a 15-point cushion, 58-43, and eventually built its largest lead of the game, 78-59, capped by a 3-pointer from Leonard with 1:55 to play.
The Hurricanes attempted 11 fewer shots in the contest than Lane and were much more efficient, connecting on 52.9 percent (27 of 51) compared to 33.9 percent (21 of 62). The Dragons won the rebounding battle, 39-36, but committed two more turnovers, 15-13.
Leonard led all scorers with 25 points. He knocked down 7 of 13 from long range and 8 of 14 overall to go with seven rebounds and three assists. Burnell added 13 points and four assists coming off the bench.
Donald Stewart and Joseph Cooper scored 15 points apiece to lead Lane. Cooper and Terrance Bridgeman grabbed eight rebounds apiece to share the rebounding lead for the Dragons.
Game 2 of Southwestern's three-game homestand comes Wednesday against Fort Valley State at 7:30 p.m.
