McPhee scores 20 in Bulldogs' victory

By Jeff Haws

For the AJC

ATHENS -- After two consecutive non-conference losses, Georgia needed a bit of a breather Tuesday. The Bulldogs got that with UNC-Asheville.

Georgia got a career- and game-high 20 points from Ricky McPhee and had four players score in double figures to cruise to a 79-58 victory.

UNCA kept it close for about 14 minutes, keeping the turnover margin roughly even while making a couple of 3-pointers to stay within striking distance at 20-13. During the next three minutes, UNCA had multiple opportunities to cut deeper into the Georgia lead but couldn't get a shot to fall.

From that point, Georgia (2-2) pulled away from the winless Bulldogs (0-4), with Travis Leslie's layup at the 6:44 mark of the first half sparking a 13-0 run that swelled the lead from seven to 20, and UNCA never again challenged Georgia.

Building a big lead allowed Georgia to get some game action for its bench players, led by Albert Jackson, who scored 10 points and had six rebounds after being limited the first few games with a broken right hand.

Georgia coach Mark Fox said this was a rare opportunity for him to work all 13 players into the game, and he was glad to make good use of the chance.

"There aren't going to be many games this year where we're going to be more talented than the other team," Fox said. "We were more talented than them, but we took advantage of our talent. We've got to learn from our wins and our losses, and hopefully we can look at the film tomorrow and get better."

McPhee used his quickness against the UNCA backcourt, getting loose to make 4 of 5 on 3-point shots and 8 of 9 overall from the field. His 20 points came in 23 minutes on the floor.

For McPhee, who led the team in scoring in only two games last season and had never scored more than 15 points in a game, it was fun to see the shots consistently fall.

"Definitely, if I make my first shot, it gives you a little bit more confidence," McPhee said. "I was getting some good looks out there tonight, so I was just really happy to knock them down and help our team win."

He wasn't the only star for the Bulldogs, though, as Trey Thompkins bounced back from a four-point, four-rebound performance against UAB to post 16 points and five rebounds in 25 minutes. Leslie showed his athleticism on a few plays around the basket, enabling him to score 17 points in 16 minutes.

The biggest surprise might have been Jackson, who had season-highs in points, rebounds, blocks (2) and minutes played (13). For the 6-foot-11 senior, just getting onto the floor was a big step toward getting back into the flow of the game.

"It was huge because games are starting to pick up, and I've got to start picking my play up," Jackson said. "It was just a good night to re-establish myself, just the little things. Get in there, get some rebounds, set some screens, run some plays. It was great to get out there and get some confidence back."

Georgia continues the non-conference portion of its schedule at home against Jacksonville State at 7 p.m. Friday.