AUGUSTA, Ga. – The Paine College men's basketball team saw
Quinnton Jackson hit his 1,000
th career point in the first half as the team withstood a late challenge by Thomas in the 80-76 win.
The Lions are now 10-12 on the season.
Jackson led the way with 24 points, five assists and five rebounds.
Kole Taylor added 12 points while
Jasper Clements hit for 11 points.
Elijah Greer-Dawson totaled nine points while
Eliot Harrison accounted for eight points and six boards.
Ivan Lawson snagged eight boards in the win.
Trailing 15-8, Taylor buried a three-ball at the 11:25 mark. Seconds later, Harrison threw down a dunk off a pass from Clements. Jackson tied the game at the 9:58 mark with his 1,000
th career point. Driving the lane, he bounced off a defender and laid it up and in while being fouled. At that point, the game was stopped to honor his accomplishment.
Jackson found Clements for a three-point bucket with 8:40 to go for an 18-15 advantage. Up 18-17, the Lions went on a huge run. Taylor started it with a three-point bucket. Jackson converted an old-fashioned three-point play before Greer-Dawson buried two free throws. Jackson's jumper pushed the margin to 11, 28-17. Jackson's bucket with 4:40 to go concluded the emphatic run.
Two Jackson free throws pushed the lead to 14 and PC ended up with a 38-26 lead at the break. The Lions saw their lead drop to three, but Greer-Dawson buried a shot in the lane to go up 46-41. A
Calvin Johnson lay-up off a pass from Taylor at the 9:38 mark extended the home team's lead to 10, 57-47.
Leading 60-49, Jackson canned a shot. After a time-out, he converted the three-point play. Clements nailed a jumper at the 7:12 mark before Lawson recorded a three-point play of his own for a 60-49 advantage with just 6:21 left.
However, Thomas whittled the margin to just two points with 1:40 to play. Clements answered with a three-point shot but the visitors trimmed the deficit to two with 48 ticks on the clock. Jackson hit a basket to go up 76-72 but Thomas answered nine seconds later.
Facing a press, the Lions got across midcourt and Greer-Dawson was fouled. He hit both shots with 11 ticks remaining to go up four. Jackson converted two charity tosses with four seconds on the clock to go up six, 80-74. Thomas made a last-second shot for the final tally.
For the game, PC hit 27-of-64 from the floor, including five-of-11 from downtown. The team was solid at the charity stripe, hitting 21-of-31. The Lions corralled 44 rebounds, including 12 on the offensive glass. PC recorded 28 points off the bench and scored 36 points in the paint.
The Lions return to action Thursday when they wrap up the regular season Thursday, Feb. 22 at North Greenville. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m.
