Saturday, February 11, 2006

BALANCED SAINTS ATTACK DOES IN SPARTANS

Spartanburg, SC - Five North Georgia players finished in double figures and Anthony Rowe added a double-double to lead the Saints to a 78-64 victory over USC Upstate on Hall of Fame Day in the Hodge Center.

North Georgia improves to 14-8 overall and 10-6 in the Peach Belt Conference.  The Saints travel to Columbus, GA, for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off against Columbus State. USC Upstate falls to 13-8 overall and 8-7 in the league. The Spartans hit the road for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off Wednesday against Georgia College & State University in Milledgeville.

Rowe finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Saints. Matt Causey finished with 17 points and eight assists. Mark Causey added 15 points and four steals, while Mark Trust tallied 13 points and seven boards. Buzz Wehunt rounded out the double figure scoring with 10 points.

Matt Causey hit a three-pointer 16 seconds into the game to give North Georgia a 3-0 lead and the Saints would never trail or be tied in the game the rest of the way. Rowe’s jumper with 14:13 to play in the first half gave the Saints a seven point lead, 9-2, as USC Upstate missed 12 of its first 13 shots from the field.

North Georgia was able to increase its lead to nine points midway through the half before USC Upstate cut the lead to three with a 6-0 run. However, the Saints increased the lead to 11 points with 3:51 to play went into the half with a 38-25 lead.

In the second half, North Georgia kept USC Upstate at bay for the first 10 minutes, increasing its advantage to 20 points on a Rowe jumper with 10:11 to play. USC Upstate used an 8-0 run to get within 12 points with 8:33 remaining, but North Georgia increased the lead back to 17 points with 5:15 to play. USC Upstate made a last-gasp effort to get within 11 with under four minutes to play, but North Georgia held firm to take the 14-point win.

North Georgia made 44.6% of its shots from the field, including 8-of-18 from the three-point arc. USC Upstate was held to 38.3% shooting from the floor and was just 8-of-25 from three-point territory.

Ivica Grgurovic led USC Upstate with 17 points and seven rebounds. Jay Free added 15 points, while Daniel Quinlan added 11 points and six rebounds. Luke Payne, not starting because of an injured hip, gutted his way to 10 points and three rebounds.

Box Score

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