Georgia basketball suffers first loss of season to Clemson

Georgia basketball had plenty of luck in Charleston, South Carolina.

The Bulldogs drilled a last-second 3-pointer Friday night to defeat Xavier in their opening game of the Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic, completing an unlikely comeback that lifted them to the championship game.

But like most things, Georgia’s luck eventually ran out.

It fell to Clemson, 97-94, in overtime on Sunday afternoon in the championship game of the four-team tournament. It marked the Bulldogs’ first defeat of the season, as they fell to 6-1.

“Disappointing that we came out on the short end,” coach Mike White told reporters during a postgame video call. “It was a high-level game, two good teams.”

Georgia knew it had a tough task on its hands when it drew Clemson in the final. The Tigers possess a physically strong team with two forwards who average nearly seven rebounds per game.

Clemson’s size advantage showed, with the Tigers outrebounding the Bulldogs, 45-35. It was Georgia’s first time getting outplayed on the glass this season.

“Their rebounding advantage over us was not offset enough,” White said. “Their ability to play two bigs and produce with two bigs was not offset by our ability to turn them over.”

Georgia only forced 13 turnovers against Clemson — its second-fewest in a game this season — while turning the ball over a season-high 15 times. Only five of the Tigers’ turnovers came after the first half, with none occurring in overtime.

The Bulldogs also found themselves in frequent foul trouble as they tried to match Clemson’s size. Center Somto Cyril and guard Jordan Ross each fouled out late in the matchup, while forward Dylan James finished one foul shy of having to exit.

“I thought we shared it for the most part,” White said. “Too many turnovers, but we’ll continue to evaluate what we’re doing offensively too, and how to incorporate some looks to give our better scorers — especially our veteran scorers, our proven scores — opportunities where they’re comfortable.”

Georgia had a chance to tie the game with four seconds left in overtime, but Jeremiah Wilkinson had to take the shot from the opposing foul line. The attempt sailed wide right of the backboard, leading to Georgia’s first loss of the season.

“We’ve got to be more connected, especially that last possession offensively for us,” White said. “Wish we could have that one back, which whether or not they were going to foul, we didn’t even give ourselves a really good chance at a decent look.”

The Bulldogs overcame multiple obstacles to put themselves in position to tie the game. They trailed by 10 points with around 14 minutes left and faced a five-point deficit on several occasions in overtime.

Rallying from both will only help a Georgia team looking to make its second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, which requires finding ways to win close contests, according to White.

“Just provide the confidence that it’s doable,” White said of playing close games. “We can reference a couple of those comebacks … We’re a team that’s got some spurt ability. And if you’re playing our style and you don’t, you’re probably not very good.”

Wilkinson led the Bulldogs with a season-high 26 points — the third-highest tally of his collegiate career — while Blue Cain notched 19 points. Former Bulldog RJ Godfrey scored 12 points for Clemson but made an impact with seven rebounds and four free throws.