After Leading the Majority of the Game, Georgia Falls to No. 24 Alabama

The Georgia Bulldogs are now 14-7 and 4-4 in conference play after losing to No. 24 Alabama.

Athens, GA – For their first back-to-back loss of the season since November and their second home loss of the season, the Georgia Bulldogs fall to the No. 24 Alabama Crimson. The Dawgs are now 14-7 overall and 4-4 in conference with this performance. Meanwhile, the Crimson Tide advances to 15-6 overall and 7-1 in the SEC.

Georgia collected the opening tip-off and scored first with two free throws from senior guard Jabri Abdur-Rahim. This was the start of a 9-2 run for the Dawgs, which ended with 16:30 left in the first period. For over three minutes following, both the Crimson Tide and the Dawgs failed to put points on the board until UGA went on an 8-0 run to extend their lead to its greatest of the half, 16 points. Alabama ended the drought and added to the scoreboard for the first time in just under six minutes with a layup by Mouhamed Dioubate with 11:36 left. The Crimson Tide built upon these points with a brief 8-2 run to bring Alabama within 9 of the Dawgs, 10-19. Each team would take turns scoring until UGA went on a quick 7-0 run to extend their lead to 16 again with 2:37 left in the half. The Tide shaved this lead by halftime, but the Dawgs remained on to 41-27 going into the locker rooms.

The Bulldogs shot very well through the first half, with each scoring statistic being higher than the Crimson Tide. The Dawgs went 43.8% from field goal range, 53.8% from behind the arc, and 100% in 6 attempts at the line. In comparison, Alabama shot 42.9% on field goals, 18.2% from 3-point range (the Crimson Tide went 0-9 on their first 9 attempts), and 25% on free throws. Graduate student Noah Thomasson led the pack for the Dawgs, putting up 13 and going 3-4 on 3-point attempts. Melendez followed behind Thomasson with 9 points. Senior forward Grant Nelson scored just one point above Melendez (6 total points for the half) and led the Crimson Tide.

The Dawgs outperformed the Crimson Tide defensively in one critical area: rebounds. Georgia recorded 27 rebounds in the first half (11 offensive and 16 defensive) to Alabama’s 7 (1 offensive and 6 defensive). Melendez recorded 7, Tchewa had 5, and senior Justin Hill had 4. Jarin Stevenson led in rebounds for the Crimson Tide with 2 in the first half.

Returning from the locker rooms, Alabama added to the scoreboard within the first minute with a layup from senior guard Mark Sears. UGA answered back with two free throws from Melendez, and the two teams would alternate scoring. With 10 minutes left in the game, Alabama began to consistently shave UGA’s 12-point lead, going on a 7-0 run that ended with seven and a half left on the clock to bring the game within 5 (54-59 UGA). With a pair of back-to-back 3-point shots (one from sophomore guard Rylan Griffen and one from Sears), the Crimson Tide cut the UGA lead to 3 and then tied the game 64-64 with 5:34 left. Alabama took their first lead of the game with 4:47 left, and after UGA tied the game quickly at 66-66, Alabama would hold it for the rest of the game. Despite Georgia’s best efforts (the Dawgs brought the game within 2 with two minutes left), the Crimson Tide would expand on their lead to win the game 85-76.

Alabama outscored the Dawgs 58-35 in the second half, and Sears and Nelson were big parts of the surge. Sears added 19 points in the second half and led the team offensively with 23 total. Nelson was right behind him with 20 in yesterday's game, and each man was perfect from the line. Sears also led Alabama with 5 total rebounds. As a team, Alabama shifted its shooting percentages upward, going 53.3% overall from field goal range, 50% overall from behind the arc, and 80% overall from behind the line.

Thomasson and Melendez continued to lead the Dawgs offensively, each putting up 15 points. Tchewa also hit double-digits yesterday with 10; he was one rebound away from a double-double as he had 9 total rebounds. The second half saw two of the Dawgs’ shooting percentages decrease; they went 0% on 4 3-point attempts (41.2% for the game) and 75% from the free throw line (83.3% for the game).

When asked what the difference maker was, Georgia head coach Mike White commented, "Their ability to turn us over.” Georgia recorded 19 turnovers throughout the game to Alabama’s 9 (only 3 of these 9 came from the second half). White also stated that after UGA’s turnovers, the Dawgs’ transition defense was “ineffective” and that “we didn’t respond well enough.”

The Dawgs play South Carolina next for the second time and the second half of their first pair of back-to-back home games of conference play this Saturday at 1 PM EST. In order to prepare for the game, White says the Bulldogs “gotta get healthy. Gotta hydrate.” and “Gotta sleep."

Other Georgia News:

• After Crawling Back From Trailing by 21, Georgia Loses in Overtime to Rival, Florida
• Tchewa Comes Up Big for the Dawgs with Game Winner to Beat LSU
• UGA Suffers First Road Loss to No. 8 Kentucky

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