Georgia Beat Notre Dame - Final Score 69 to 48

Arkesh Ray | 16 Hours Ago

Dec 3, 2024; Athens, Georgia, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Braeden Shrewsberry (11) dribbles against Georgia Bulldogs forward RJ Godfrey (10) during the second half at Stegeman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The Georgia Bulldogs advance to 8-1 on the season and a perfect 6-0 at home as they beat Notre Dame 69 to 48. The Bulldogs beat the Fighting Irish for the first time ever in Stegeman Coliseum and take a 3-2 lead in the all-time series.

Although the final score does not show it, this game was not all smooth sailing for Georgia. Georgia missed their first nine shots including eight from downtown and found themselves in a 6-0 deficit.

With 15:25 left in the first half, Georgia took a much-needed timeout. The Bulldogs came out of the break with renewed energy, going on a 13-3 run in just four minutes and 23 seconds to take a 13-9 lead. The run was spearheaded by Cyril Somta who scored four points (on 2/2 shooting) and recorded a block. 

Following the 13-3 run, Georgia was on an 18-5 overall run to make it an 18-11 game. With the Bulldogs rolling it looked like Georgia was about to blow this game wide open. Notre Dame’s Tae Davis was not about to let this happen. He made a tough shot, fighting through contact to stop the Georgia run. He then sunk the free throw to make it an 18-14 game and stop all of Georgia’s momentum. 

Holding on to just a four-point lead, the game became the Asa Newell show. With zero points through almost 15 minutes of game time, Newell was a non-factor until that point. However, in the final five minutes and 45 seconds of the half, he scored 11 points, sparking a 16-8 Georgia run. Georgia ended the half on a 34-16 run to take a 12-point 34 to 22 lead into the locker room.

Early in the second half Notre Dame found themselves down 41-24. After this moment they went on a 15-2 run, in the midst of which Georgia had a nearly four-minute scoring drought, making it a 43-39 game with 13 minutes left in regulation.

Dakota Leffew hit a huge three to end the 15-2 run and give Georgia some breathing room. 

“It feels good to come off the bench and be like an instant offense for the team,” Leffew said when asked about his immediate impact to the team.

Following Leffew’s huge three, Georgia ended the game on a 23 to 9 run including a 12-0 run to end the game. Six of the final 10 points came from Asa Newell who ended the game with 20 points and 11 rebounds.

Coach Mike White revealed in his post-game press conference that Asa Newell was playing through sickness tonight. “Asa had 20 and 11 and was playing through a cold. He was coughing during all the timeouts”

Despite being sick, Newell still dominated, recording a double-double and shooting 50% from the field. He’s a special talent.

Player of the Game

This was a great team game from Georgia, with many different players making huge impacts on the game. However, the player of the game has to go to Cyril Somta. He ended the game with five points, two rebounds, and one block. He did not stuff the stat sheet but he was the first Bulldog to see a shot go down the net, sparking the offense and helping them break out of their early game funk. 

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