UGA rallies from double-digit deficit to beat Bama

By Tim Tucker

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

ATHENS -- With 11-1/2 minutes to play Saturday, everything was going wrong for Georgia's basketball team.

The Bulldogs trailed by 13 points, had made only 2 of 12 free throws and were withering under Alabama's pressure defense.

"There were moments," coach Mark Fox said later, "that you'd think, ‘Boy, when is something going to go our way?' "

Then everything turned Georgia's way.

The Bulldogs started to get some baskets by aggressively attacking the back end of Alabama's press and started to make their free throws. The result: They wiped out the daunting double-digit deficit and defeated the Crimson Tide 76-70 in Stegeman Coliseum.

The win was the Dogs' third in a row at home, where they are 11-3 this season, and their first anywhere against an SEC West opponent since March 2008. The Dogs had lost 11 in a row to West teams -- four this season and seven last season.

Saturday's game turned suddenly and sharply.

Trailing 52-39 with 11:39 to play, Georgia went on a 22-8 run to take a 61-60 lead on a Trey Thompkins jumper with 4:13 to play. Alabama never regained the lead.

Thompkins scored 14 of his 21 points in the final nine minutes. Dustin Ware, Georgia's point guard, scored all of his seven points in the final two minutes. The Dogs converted 11 of their last 12 free throws after making only two of their first 12.

The poor start at the free-throw line -- "we were missing them left and right," guard Ricky McPhee said -- was inexplicable for a team that entered the game shooting an SEC-best 73 percent from the line. But it was indicative of a game that seemed to be going all wrong.

"Things weren't going well for us," Thompkins said afterward, "but we decided not to settle. We decided to take this one."

Said Fox: "I kept telling them in timeouts, ‘There are so many minutes left in this game. You just got to keep a relentless determination about you, and if you just start scratching and clawing, it'll come back to you."

Thompkins said Fox also challenged the young team to show its growth by mounting a comeback.

"He asked us if we wanted to mature and if there was another level we could go to," Thompkins said. "Everybody tuned in and jumped on board."

Thompkins was the driving force, adding a career-high 17 rebounds to his game-high 21 points.

"He's a great player," Alabama coach Anthony Grant said of Thompkins. "When it's winning time, he steps up and does what winning players try to do -- win the game."

Travis Leslie scored 16 points for Georgia. Mikhail Torrance topped Alabama with 20. Georgia outrebounded the Crimson Tide 39-27.

With the win, the Bulldogs (12-13, 4-8 SEC) matched last season's overall victory total and exceeded last season's SEC victory total. They finished 12-20, 3-13 last season.

"We just have to keep making steps forward," Fox said, "and today was a step forward."

It marked the third consecutive Saturday that Georgia enjoyed a victory in Stegeman Coliseum.

"We've had good Saturdays," Fox said, "and today was a good win."

Georgia next plays at Vanderbilt on Thursday. The Dogs again will seek their first win of the season in an opponent's arena.

"This is a team that has so much potential," Thompkins said, "and we are at a point where we want to reach that potential."