AMERICUS, Ga. | Ben Waterhouse and Nicksen Blanc each scored 16 points for Young Harris College, but a late rally for the Mountain Lions came up short as Georgia Southwestern State University hung on for a 74-72 Peach Belt Conference men's basketball victory Sunday (Feb. 4) afternoon at the Storm Dome.

The Hurricanes improved to 11-8 overall and to 7-8 in the Peach Belt, while the Mountain Lions fell to 6-15 and 5-10.  Young Harris returns to the YHC Basketball Arena Wednesday (Feb. 7) when they host their cross-mountain rival University of North Georgia in a 7:30 p.m. Battle of Blood Mountain rivalry game. It will also be the annual Purple Out contest for Young Harris and the game will be streamed on ESPN3 as part of the NCAA Division II Basketball Showcase.

After the game was tied at 30 at the half, Georgia Southwestern took control in the second half as they opened up a 12-point lead (63-51) after Devin Watson hit a jump shot with 6:15 remaining. It remained a 12-point cushion with 83 seconds left as the Hurricanes took a 72-60 lead after a Hasaan Buggs putback.

A Greg Murphy jumper and a Waterhouse three-pointer cut the margin to seven points (72-65) with 57 seconds to play. Blanc added two free throws and a layup to get the Mountain Lions within three points (72-69) with nine seconds left. Andre Statam hit two free throws to give Georgia Southwestern a 74-69 lead two seconds later. Waterhouse accounted for the final margin by hitting a three-pointer with one second left.

Watson led the Hurricanes with 20 points, while Buggs added 17 points and 12 rebounds. R.J. Sessions added 11 points, while John Mason added 10 more.

Antonio Wade added 11 points and Corey Nelson added 10 more. Blanc led YHC with nine rebounds, while Nelson pulled down eight more.