Falcons Lock Down Middle Georgia

COCHRAN, Ga. - The Florida College Falcons put together a great defensive effort, defeating Middle Georgia State University 66-51 in their gym on Tuesday night.

The Falcons trailed 24-22 with 7:52 left in the first half. They used an 18-4 run over the rest of the half to hold a 40-28 lead at the break. Phat Cleveland hit a three as time expired to end the half.

To begin the second half, the defense continued. Middle Georgia was shut out the first 7 minutes and 33 seconds of the second half. That was 6 points allowed in the last 15 and a half minutes by the Falcons. FC eventually took a commanding 27-point lead at the 9:42 mark of the second half, on a Bryan Chong three-pointer from Phat Cleveland.

The lead was still 23 with 3 minutes remaining, but the Knights scored the last 8 points of the game to result in the 15-point win for the road team.

The Falcons held MGA to their lowest point total of the season, their worst shooting percentage, three-point percentage, and tied for the lowest amount of free throws taken. They doubled up MGA on the offensive glass with a 14 to 7 advantage.

Four Falcons reached double figures in the contest, led by Chinedu Okonkwo with 18 points and 11 rebounds, on 7-of-11 shooting. This is the first game FC was led in scoring by someone other than Simpson. Phat Cleveland knocked in 15 points. Matt Simpson notched 12. Bryan Chong continued his strong play, pouring in 11 points off the bench. FC's forwards accounted for 31 of the team's 43 rebounds. In addition to Okonkwo's 11, EJ Wynn and DJ Doakes had 8 apiece, Jashavius Perdue had 3 and Ray Cao had 1.

"This was a good win for our team," mentioned head coach Chase Teichmann. "This is a hard place to win and a tough team to play. We challenged our guys to defend and rebound and the rest would take care of itself. They did that. We have a lot of room to improve offensively, but we're extremely proud of the way they fought and executed."

The (RV) Falcons move to 10-1 on the year. They are winners of four in a row. Next, they'll take on the Webber International Warriors on December 9, in Babson Park, Florida.