The Georgia Gwinnett College men's basketball team shined on offense and defense to earn its 20th victory of its inaugural season with a 93-73 triumph over Voorhees University (South Carolina) on Monday evening at the Convocation Center.

The Grizzlies (20-6) pulled away midway through the first half and never looked back after trailing 15-14. They outscored the Tigers (9-17) by a 27-16 margin during the remaining 12 minutes of the period to take a 41-31 halftime edge.

The opening four minutes of the second half were even more decisive for the hosts as they made their first seven shots, many coming off strong defensive plays, to score 15 straight points for a commanding 56-31 lead – the team's largest advantage of the game.

Senior Manny Montgomery started the offensive string with a layup off a defensive steal and later followed up with two more baskets – part of a perfect 6-for-6 shooting performance in the second half. Freshman Mario Hill Jr. contributed four of his five total points during the early second half stretch, and seniors Deonte' Martinez and Drew Kramer each had baskets to help the team pull away.

GGC made 66.7 percent of its second half field goals to finish the game shooting 56.5 percent for the game. The team had four double-digit scorers, 34 bench points, and 12 players contributed the victory.
The team's defensive effort created 10 steals and 15 points off turnovers.

Junior Jahiem Berry and Montgomery each shared game-high scoring honors with 16 points. Twelve of Montgomery's points came in the second half. Berry made four of his six 3-point field goals. Kramer added 14 points and Martinez had 13 points. Freshman Patrick Johnson came off the bench to have nine points and junior Brasen James had eight points – all coming in the team's productive second half. 

GGC was anxious to get back on the court after having a weeklong break in the schedule. Now, the team is preparing to play back-to-back games against Reinhardt University (Georgia) on Wednesday and Carolina University (North Carolina) on Thursday, both at 7 p.m.


 
Coach's Corner
"The start to the second half was our best stretch of the game. I would like to have those same characteristics that led to that for longer periods in future games. We have one day to rest up before getting another crack at it on Wednesday," said Head Coach Chase Teichmann.
 
Turning Point
Making their first seven shots of the second half, the Grizzlies scored 15 straight points to take a commanding 56-31 lead – the team's largest lead of the game. Senior Manny Montgomery started the string with a layup and followed up with two more baskets in the opening 3:48 of the second half. Freshman Mario Hill Jr. contributed four of his five total points during the stretch, and seniors Deonte Martinez and Drew Kramer had baskets during the decisive stretch.
 
Inside The Numbers

• The Grizzlies made 66.7 percent of their field goals in the second half and shot 56.5 percent for the game
• Four of the Grizzlies' five starters were double-figure scorers on Monday
• Ten players scored in the game for GGC, with the team having 34 bench points
• GGC had 10 defensive steals, with junior Jahiem Berry grabbing a team-high four steals

News & Notes

• GGC improves to 20-6 for the season; Voorhees is now 9-17
• The Grizzlies have won six straight games and 10 of their last 12 contests
• GGC has a 9-2 record in the Convocation Center during its inaugural season
• Georgia Gwinnett College is playing three home games during the last week of the regular season

Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to host Reinhardt University (Georgia) on Wednesday, February 18, in the Convocation Center, starting at 7 p.m. Senior Day will follow on Thursday, February 19, with a game against Carolina University (North Carolina), also starting at 7 p.m.