Jabrion Spikes leads another 2nd half charge in win over Florida College

Georgetown got off to a slow start on Tuesday night against Shawnee State but used a 2nd half explosion to win comfortably. A similar story rang true on Friday against Florida College. Georgetown fell behind by 13 early but rallied to take control early in the 2nd half and go on for an 83-74 win to improve to 8-0.

Florida College broke off a 16-3 run to start the game before Georgetown got its act together. Jabrion Spikes then hit a jumper to get an answer going. A bucket from Darien Lewis and 3 from Jaquias Franklin brought the deficit to 16-10 with 13:42 to go in the half. 90 seconds later, Georgetown had a 20-16 lead thanks to a final Gavin Stevens 3 that capped a 17-0 run. Florida College stayed close and actually took a 37-34 lead with a minute to play until halftime. Georgetown countered with a dunk from Andres Burney and a 3 from Jaquias Franklin to take a 39-37 lead to the break.

Franklin carried the momentum into the 2nd half as he and Jabrion Spikes scored the first 8 points for a 47-37 lead. After a Florida College free throw, Spikes nailed a long 3 to send FC into a timeout trailing 50-38. Florida College trimmed the deficit to 9 at 52-43 with 16:38 to go, but Georgetown answered with a quick 8-0 burst for a 17-point lead. A Jabrion Spikes jumper with 15:07 to go gave Georgetown its biggest lead of the night at 62-44. The scoring pace slowed as the half went on. The teams traded baskets and mini-runs. With 3:15 to go, Spikes hit another jumper for a 79-65 lead. It was Georgetown's last points for nearly 3 minutes. Florida College scored 6 straight to get within 8. After a Tae Dozier free throw, FC hit a 3 to get within 6 at 80-74, but Jaquias Franklin sank 3 free throws in the final 25 seconds to seal the win.

Georgetown shot 62% in the 2nd half to build a lead Florida College could never recover from. The defense also proved key as Georgetown scored 25 points off 13 turnovers. The Tigers finished +17 in points off turnovers and +19 in points off the bench.

Jabrion Spikes shot 11-16 from the floor for a game-high 25 points. Andres Burney continued his stellar play off the bench with 19 points and 7 boards. Burney is shooting 70% from the field to start the season. Jaquias Franklin came back to life in his 2nd game back in action with 15 points and 5 assists in just 18 minutes.

The Tigers play again on Saturday afternoon in the Centennial Bank Classic against Fisk University. Tip time at Bethel University is set for 3:00pm.