The No. 24-ranked Georgia Gwinnett College men's basketball team relied on offensive runs in each half to pick up a 75-61 bounce-back victory Wednesday evening against the University of Rio Grande (Ohio) on the final day of the Athletes in Action Christmas Classic in Xenia, Ohio.

The 61 points allowed are a season-best for the Grizzlies' defense. The performance came after the team gave up 82 points in a loss against Marian University (Indiana).

GGC (11-4) used a 19-2 run midway through the first half to build a 33-21 lead following a 3-point field goal by junior Devontre Chaney with 3:38 left in the period. Chaney scored 16 of his team-high 22 points in the first half.

Rio Grande (5-6) opened the game by scoring the first six points and held a 14-9 lead in the opening seven minutes of the contest.

A three-point play by junior Brasen James gave the Grizzlies a 22-19 lead with 7:27 remaining in the first half. He later added a dunk before Chaney's shot from behind the 3-point field goal arc stretched the team's lead into double digits.

GGC held a 36-28 halftime lead and Rio Grande continued to trail by eight points, at 57-49, after a layup from Delon McCloud with 9:37 remaining in the contest. The Grizzlies scored the next seven points, with senior Manny Montgomery converting a three-point play before making a layup. That gave the team a 64-49 lead at the 7:21 mark.

The Grizzlies had three double-figure scorers, with senior Drew Kramer and junior Jahiem Berry each having 10 points. James added nine points. Freshman Patrick Johnson grabbed 13 rebounds in the triumph.

McCloud scored a game-high 28 points for Rio Grande.
 
Coach's Corner
"This was a great response from yesterday (an 82-76 loss to Marian). Our guys competed for 40 minutes. We've got to figure out a way to keep this switch flipped 'on' for the rest of the season. It's been a long first semester, with lots of travel and good competition. Hopefully, this upcoming (holiday) break will allow us to get healthy and rejuvenated in order to finish the right way down the stretch for the season," said Head Coach Chase Teichmann.
 
Turning Point
GGC used a 19-2 offensive run midway through the first half to take a 36-28 halftime lead. This came after Rio Grande opened the game by scoring the first six points and led 14-9 early in the contest. A 3-point field goal from junior Devontre Chaney gave the Grizzlies a 33-21 lead at the 3:38 mark of the first half.
 
Inside The Numbers

• The Grizzlies connected on 43.3 percent of their field goals, compared to 33.8 percent shooting by Rio Grande
• Freshman Patrick Johnson grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds
• Junior Devontre Chaney led the team with 22 points, the third game this season in which he has scored 20 or more points this season
• GGC held a 44-39 rebounding edge

News & Notes

• GGC improves to 11-4 in 2025-26; Rio Grande drops to 5-6 this winter
• The Grizzlies are ranked No. 24 in the latest NAIA Top 25 poll, announced by the national office on Wednesday, December 17
• Georgia Gwinnett College is 3-2 during the eight-game road swing that continues through January 10
• The team played its final game of the 2025 calendar year

Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to travel to Bryan College on Saturday, January 3, in Dayton, Tennessee, starting at 4 p.m.