Georgia upsets No. 18 Vanderbilt

By Tim Tucker

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

ATHENS -- Again, Georgia's basketball team led late. And this time, rather than losing the lead, the Bulldogs kept adding to it.

Having fallen to 1-6 in the SEC with an excruciating series of late-game losses, the Dogs built a comfortable cushion and defeated Vanderbilt 72-58 in Stegeman Coliseum on Saturday night.

The Bulldogs, who trailed by as many as eight points early in the second half, took the lead for good on two Travis Leslie free throws with just under 11 minutes to play and stretched the lead to 14 on a Ricky McPhee 3-pointer with just over three minutes to go.

There was no collapse -- no suspense, even -- this time.

"We knew we couldn't give up another lead like we had been doing in our previous games," Leslie said afterward. "So we just kept running it up."

The victory came against a formidable opponent. Vanderbilt entered the game with 11 wins in its past 12 outings, a No. 18 national ranking in the Associated Press poll and an even higher ranking (No. 12) in the RPI.

But when the game was over, Vanderbilt had dropped to 6-2 in the SEC (17-5 overall) and Georgia had risen to 2-6 in the league (10-11 overall).

"When you beat a team I have as much respect for as Vanderbilt," Georgia coach Mark Fox said, "you should feel very good about it."

And the Dogs did.

"It was a blessing," forward Trey Thompkins said, "because we have worked so hard the entire season. We really wanted it and finally got one.

"It just proves that on any given night we can play with anybody in the country, and on any given night we can beat anybody in the country."

The win was Georgia's third of the season at home over a ranked team, following victories over Georgia Tech and Tennessee. And this one came just as the weight of late losses seemed to be wearing on the team.

Although 1-6 in the SEC before Saturday, Georgia had led or been within a single possession of the lead in the final minute of five of the six losses.

"We've needed some success along the way to keep us going," Fox said. "And I felt the last couple of days we were as physically tired and beat up as we have been."

But a team that has struggled on defense most of the season -- and particularly so in the second half of a loss to Arkansas on Wednesday night -- held Vanderbilt to 32.8 percent shooting from the field.

Asked how much better he felt about his team's defense this time out than three nights earlier, Fox said: "The other night, I was nauseous. Tonight, I'll be able to eat."

Leslie and Thompkins led Georgia with 17 points apiece -- 13 of Leslie's coming in the second half, nine on free throws.

Georgia also got a significant contribution from freshman guard Vincent Williams, who had seven points and four assists in 16 minutes of action in relief of Dustin Ware, who was limited to 26 minutes after battling flu-like symptoms the past few days.

Guards Jermaine Beal and Brad Tinsley led Vanderbilt with 21 and 18 points, respectively.

Georgia took a 19-9 lead 10 minutes into the game but was outscored 17-4 over the next 10 minutes to trail 26-23 at the half. But after retaking the lead in the second half, the Bulldogs held it firmly this time.