Georgia Bulldogs Football Forum Message Board and Blog > Sports > Georgia Bulldog Basketball > Dogs Stem the Tide, 76-70 |
Georgia Bulldogs Football Forum Message Board and Blog > Sports > Georgia Bulldog Basketball > Dogs Stem the Tide, 76-70 |
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Bonjax Administrator
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ATHENS, Ga.----- The Georgia Bulldogs men’s basketball team overcame a 13-point second half deficit to defeat the visiting Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday in front of 8,510 raucous Georgia patrons from the Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Ga. The win lifts the Bulldogs to a 12-13 record on the season (4-8 in the Southeastern Conference) and gives them their first win this year over an SEC western division foe. Alabama’s loss leaves them still in search of their first victory over an SEC East opponent, and drops their record to 14-12 (4-8 SEC). The win, Georgia’s 12th, equals their win total from last season and gives them an opportunity to best that number as four regular season contests still remain. “I was really proud of our team for the determination they showed,” said Georgia head coach Mark Fox. “We were so determined to come back and win and I was extremely pleased with our effort the second half. We beat a very good basketball team tonight. I have a lot of respect for Coach [Anthony] Grant and the kids at Alabama. It’s a good win for us.” Tonight’s contest featured nine lead changes and eight tied scores, but looked to be over midway through the second half as Alabama held a 13-point lead over the Bulldogs. Georgia led 30-29 at the half, but Alabama opened the second period on a 23-9 run that saw them position themselves nicely for a victory. Georgia’s comeback started on a Travis Leslie put-back with 11:24 remaining in the game, and the Dogs were able to regain the lead with a 61-60 score off a Trey Thompkins jumper with 4:13 remaining. Georgia held onto that lead and stemmed every Alabama comeback attempt en route to a 76-70 victory. Georgia was led offensively by sophomore forward Trey Thompkins, who finished with an impressive 21 points and 17 rebounds in a team-high 38 minutes. Sophomore guard Travis Leslie added 16 points and seven boards, while senior guard Ricky McPhee contributed with 13 points and six rebounds. Junior forward Chris Barnes started his fifth contest on the season, and justified that starting position with a season high ten points and five rebounds, equaling his career single-game scoring high. Sophomore guard Dustin Ware was scoreless for nearly 39 minutes, but finished with seven points as all came in the final 1:24 of regulation. Ware hit a clutch three pointer to put the Bulldogs up by five with 1:24 remaining, and was four for four on free throw attempts to ice the game during the last minute of play. Thompkins’ double-double was his eighth on the year and his third consecutive, as he registered 21 points and 10rebounds last Saturday in a victory over South Carolina, and 25 points and 10 rebounds in last Wednesday’s defeat at Tennessee. “Trey has invested a lot. He’s a winner”, said Fox. “We have talked a lot with our younger guys about the fact that they’ve played so many minutes, they have to start playing like upperclassmen. Tonight, Trey finished the game like an upperclassman. He made some big plays down the stretch and was able to keep his poise through a foul shooting slump also (three for nine on his free throw attempts for the game).” “This for our program is progress”, Fox stressed. “Every game we play is a chance to make progress. These kids understand that we still have not gotten over the hump on the road. We are a lot better team away from home than we were the first couple of trips though. We just have to keep making steps forward and today was a step forward because we beat a good team. Thursday’s game against Vanderbilt is another chance for us because we are going to play a very good team on the road.” Next up for Georgia are the Vanderbilt Commodores, who the Bulldogs defeated on February 6th 72-58 from the Stegeman Coliseum. The game will tip at 7:00 PM next Thursday, February 25th, from Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville, Tenn. The game can be seen on ESPNU and heard on the Georgia Bulldogs Radio Network. Live stats can also be found on http://www.georgiadogs.com.
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| Georgia Bulldogs Football Forum Message Board and Blog > Sports > Georgia Bulldog Basketball > Dogs Stem the Tide, 76-70 | |
