Benedict Takes Down Georgia College, 80-69

ALBANY, Ga. (Benedict) — Quiron Cooke came off the bench to score a season-high 17 points to help lead the Benedict College Tigers to a 80-69 victory over Georgia College on Sunday night in the Albany State Thanksgiving Holiday Classic. Jordan Smith added 14 points, scoring 10 in the second half, while Brennan Reynard added 13 points and Lafonzo Smith chipped in with 12 points. Jordan Smith and Christopher Spencer led the Tigers with seven rebounds each. The Tigers improved to 5-2 overall, bouncing back from a 91-76 loss to Columbus State on Saturday night. The Bobcats fell to 5-2. Benedict took a 33-24 lead at the halftime break after Cooke hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to close out the first half. The Bobcats cut into the lead in the second half and took a 47-46 lead on a 3-pointer by Mark McCorkle with 11:39 left in the game. A three-point play by Georgia College’s Kelvin Nwanze cut Benedict’s lead to 62-61, but the Tigers then scored the next 12 points for a 74-61 lead with 1:49 on the clock. Cooke had a 3-pointer and a jumper in that run, while Reynard had five points on a three-point play and two more free throws. Benedict held Georgia College to 43.1 percent from the floor and 18.5 percent on 3-pointers. Terrell Harris led the Bobcats with 25 points, but no other Georgia College player reached double figures. The Tigers begin a road trip with three games against SIAC teams in five days, starting with Central State on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. The road trip continues with games at Lane on Saturday and Kentucky State on Tuesday.