In a Game of Physicality, Georgia Loses Third Straight to South Carolina

The Georgia Bulldogs are now 4-5 in the SEA and have now lost three straight after losing to South Carolina at home.

Athens, GA – The Georgia Bulldogs fall to the South Carolina Gamecocks in their third loss at home of the season and third loss in a row. The Bulldogs are now 14-8 overall and 4-5 in the SEC. Meanwhile, the Gamecocks advance to 19-3 overall and 7-2 in the conference.

South Carolina collected the opening tip-off and took advantage, opening up scoring with a dunk by Collin Murray-Boyles with 19:39 left. This was the first of three dunks within the first four minutes for the Gamecocks. In contrast, the Dawgs found little success scoring within the paint; they only scored one field goal within the first 10 minutes. The Dawgs were able to establish and maintain a lead for over 15 minutes of the first half, however. This was largely due to the Bulldogs’ success shooting behind the arc, especially in the first 10 minutes. For the game, UGA went 44.4% on 18 attempts from 3-point range. Senior guard Jabri Abdur-Rahim led the Bulldogs' overall scoring effort with 11 points in the first half, 9 of which came from 3-point shots. Freshman Blue Cain also put up points for the Dawgs in the first, going 3 for 4 on 3-point attempts.

The Georgia lead peaked at 10 points (29-19) with 8:05 left in the period. The Gamecocks cut this quickly with a 9-0 run consisting of three back-to-back 3-pointers in less than a minute and a half. Two of three of these South Carolina scores came from junior guard Meechie Johnson and senior guard Ta’Lon Cooper, who had one each. Both Johson and Cooper collected 6 total in the first half for the Gamecocks. They followed freshman forward Collin Murray-Boyles, who led South Carolina over the first half with 10 points, and senior forward Josh Gray, who recorded 7 points. After South Carolina cut the UGA lead, the two teams would go back and forth for the remainder of the first period, but UGA would maintain the lead the entire time and go into halftime up 40-38.

Georgia came out of the tunnel and added to the scoreboard first with a layup from graduate student center Russel Tchewa in the first minute. The two teams traded baskets until South Carolina tied the game 47-47 with 15:19 left on a pair of layups by sophomore guard Zachary Davis. After a Georgia layup, the Gamecocks went on an 8-0 run, starting with 12:08 left and ending with 8:04 left, to go up 6 (57-51). Georgia ended their scoring drought just before it hit the five-minute mark with two free throws by Abdur-Rahim with 7:24 left. Despite this, the Gamecocks would expand their lead for the remainder of the game, going up as much as 11 with 2:30 and 1:20 left and closing the game with a 72-62 win.

The second half saw the Gamecocks outscore the Bulldogs 34-22. Georgia’s 3-point percentage decreased to 10.0% in the second period and 32.1% overall. The Dawgs also struggled when it came to overall field goal shooting in the second half, going 29.2% from field goal range (they went 39.3% overall). In contrast, the Gamecocks continued their first-half stat line through the second; overall, South Carolina went 51.8% from field goal range, 35.0% from behind the arc, and 63.6% from the line. Abdur-Rahim continued to lead UGA offensively, recording 20 points but only going 4-12 on 3-point attempts. Thomasson and Cain also both passed the 10-point mark, putting up 10 and 11, respectively. South Carolina saw four players record double-digits: Murray-Boyles (16), Gray (15), Johnson (11), and Cooper (10). When it came to distributing the ball, the Gamecocks outperformed the Dawgs with 25 to UGA’s 10. The South Carolina effort was headed by Cooper, who had 8.

Defensively, both teams performed with physicality. South Carolina played man-to-man for all but a few possessions and had 34 rebounds (9 offensive and 25 defensive) and only 9 turnovers. Gray was the leading rebounder with 8 total for the Gamecocks, and Davis followed with 6 rebounds. The Bulldogs tried to consistently pressure the post, which, as Georgia head coach Mike White said, “exerted [themselves] a little too much.” The Bulldogs also fell short when it came to their defense close to the net, as they gave up 40 points in the paint. When it came to rebounding, UGA performed below season averages (37 rebounds), only collecting 28 rebounds.

With their performance tonight, the Dawgs record their first losing record in SEC play (4-5) and their first three-game losing streak. This loss hit the Dawgs hard, but they are looking to rebound next Wednesday, 2/7, at 9 PM EST on the road against Mississippi State.

Other Georgia News:

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

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