ST. AUGUSTINE – Ben Bobbitt hit a running jumper with three seconds left on the clock to give Flagler College a 77-76 lead and the Saints went on to win 79-76 over Georgia Southwestern State University in a Peach Belt Conference men's basketball game Tuesday morning at Flagler Gymnasium on "Education Day."
 

Flagler improved to 6-9 overall and 2-5 in the Peach Belt. Georgia Southwestern lost its second game in a row, and its fifth games in its last six, to fall to 6-8 overall and 2-5 in conference play.

The Saints trailed by as many as 14 points (51-37), but used a 24-10 run midway through the second half to tie the score at 61. Vaughn McCall drained a 3-pointer to tie the game with 8:01 left.

The Hurricanes re-took the lead and led by four (69-65) after a Chandler Thomas layup with 4:39 left. The Saints kept chipping away and Bobbitt stole the ball and went all the way in for a layup to give Flagler its first lead (72-71) with 2:31 left since the 16:38 mark in the first half when the Saints led 10-6.
 
Jure Gunjina sank a pair of free throws with 22 seconds left to put Georgia Southwestern back on top 76-75. After a 30-second timeout by Flagler, Bobbitt drove through the lane with his running jumper to give the Saints the one-point lead (77-76).
 
The Hurricanes turned the ball over on the in-bounds pass as Nick Grier intercepted the pass to mid-court. Grier sank two insurance free throws with two seconds left on the clock.

Matt Clark scored 15 of his team-high 23 points in the second half to pace the Saints. Grier added 13 points, five rebounds and three steals while Bobbitt contributed 12 points (10 in the second half) and dished out six assists. Keshaun Hamilton added 11 points and six rebounds and McCall tacked on 10 points. Keith Gray grabbed a team-high seven rebounds,

Flagler shot its highest percentage from the field, 53.7% (29-54), since shooting 54.7% at Florida Tech on Dec. 14. The Saints shot 60% in the first half, yet trailed 41-35. Flagler also knocked down 14-of-16 (87.5%) of its shots from the free throw line.

Gunjina led all scorers with 25 points and he tallied six steals. He made 5-of-9 from behind the arc and 8-of-9 from the free throw line. Adam Thoseby added 19 points while Damien Leonard recorded a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

Flagler plays host to Clayton State University on Saturday (Jan. 16) at 3:30 p.m. at Flagler Gymnasium.

NOTE: There were over 400 students and staff from five local schools in attendance today to support the Saints.