Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (Indiana) made a blistering 51.5 percent of its field goals, including six of its final seven shots, to defeat the No. 25-ranked Georgia Gwinnett College men's basketball team 95-91 to close out play in the Cumberlands Classic on Saturday afternoon.

The Grizzlies (9-3) had their six-game winning streak come to an end.

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods (6-3), which advanced to the Round of 16 in last season's NAIA tournament, scored five straight points to grab an 83-78 lead after a 3-point field goal by Malachi Pearson with 4:06 remaining in the game.

The teams then traded baskets, with GGC cutting the deficit to three points, at 89-86, following a 3-pointer by junior Jahiem Berry with 1:05 left.

The Pomeroys' Taray Howell made a jump shot and Ellis Todd followed with a free throw to stretch the lead to 92-86 with 25 seconds remaining.

GGC's final comeback try had senior Drew Kramer connecting on a 3-pointer with 21 seconds left and a defensive stop as junior Devontre Chaney blocked an opposing layup. However, Kramer missed a 3-pointer from the left wing.

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods made three of its four free throw attempts down the stretch to seal the victory.

GGC produced a double-digit first-half lead, at 28-17, following a layup from senior Manny Montgomery past the midway point of the period. The Pomeroys used a 13-3 run over the next three minutes to cut the deficit to 31-30.

The Indiana team then scored 13 straight points to build a 46-38 lead with 1:16 left in the first half, after getting a 3-point field goal from Quamar Hobbs.

After trailing 48-44 at halftime, the Grizzlies charged out aggressively to start the second half and took a 54-53 lead after a Chaney layup with 17:50 remaining in the contest. A 3-pointer by Kramer gave the team a 71-67 lead at the 10:56 mark of the period.

GGC relied on a balanced scoring attack, with six players reaching double figures. Chaney led the effort with 18 points, nine assists and seven rebounds. Kramer also chipped in 18 points, behind five 3-pointers. Berry scored 14 points and Montgomery came off the bench to contribute 11 points. Freshmen Patrick Johnson and Mario Hill Jr. each tallied 10 points.

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods' offensive effort was spread evenly as Mike Ajukwa, Howell and Todd, each scored 18 points.
 
Coach's Corner
"My hats off to SMWC as they made some really tough shots and competed hard. We did some good things that are going to bode well for us throughout the season. We will clean up those things that we can control and fight on," said Head Coach Chase Teichmann.
 
Turning Point
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods connected on six of its final seven shots to pick up the four-point triumph. The Pomeroys committed only nine turnovers, went 15-of-20 from the free throw line and made one fewer 3-point field goal than the Grizzlies across the 40 minutes of action.
 
Inside The Numbers

• Saint Mary-of-the-Woods made 51.5 percent of its shots, compared to 42.9 percent by the Grizzlies
• The Pomeroys outrebounded GGC by a slim 36-35 margin
• GGC committed a season-low eight turnovers
• The team went 20-of-25 from the free throw line in the contest

News & Notes

• GGC drops to 9-3 this winter; Saint Mary-of-the-Woods improves to 6-4 on the season
• The Grizzlies are ranked No. 25 in the latest NAIA Top 25 poll
• Georgia Gwinnett College had its six-game winning streak end on Saturday
• Six players were double-figure scorers for the team

Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to travel to Tennessee Wesleyan University on Wednesday, December 10, in Athens, Tennessee, starting at 6:30 p.m.