Georgia scores lively, late-night rivalry win over Georgia Tech, 92-87
ATHENS — Georgia and Georgia Tech’s basketball rivalry came alive late Friday night.
The Bulldogs (4-0) prevailed, 92-87, in a battle that saw seven lead changes and 52 fouls called between the teams.
Jeremiah Wilkinson and Blue Cain led Georgia with 18 points each.
Kam Craft had 17 points to lead a balanced attack that featured five players scoring in double figures.
The Yellow Jackets (3-1) gave Georgia all it wanted before UGA went on a 9-0 run — Somto Cyril throwing down a thunderous dunk that left the rim shaking in the midst of it — to take a 75-66 lead with 6:27 left.
Georgia Tech failed to draw closer than five points for the remainder of the game.
Georgia Tech, a 15 1/2-point underdog, was threatening in the second half when Jaeden Mustaf (15 points) hit a 3-pointer to spark an 11-0 run.
Baye Ndongo’s free throw closed the burst with the Yellow Jackets leading 56-50.
Georgia Tech’s lead had swelled to eight points with 14:01 left on Lamar Washington’s layup, 60-52.
The Bulldogs answered with a 10-0 run of their own, Jake Wilkins bringing the crowd to its feet with a drive to the basket that led to the three-point play that put UGA ahead 62-60 with 11:15 remaining.
The teams traded baskets before Marcus “Smurf” Millender hit a pair of free throws to spark the final, decisive 9-0 run that put Georgia ahead for good.
The Bulldogs had a notable edge at the free-throw line, with the home team making 32 of 44 free throws, while Georgia Tech was 16 of 27 from the charity stripe.
Georgia held a 46-45 lead over the Yellow Jackets at intermission after a tightly-contested opening 20 minutes featuring five lead changes.
The halftime numbers were just as close as the score, the Bulldogs holding a slim 22-21 rebounding edge, while Tech had an 18-16 advantage on points in the paint.
The Yellow Jackets bounced out to an early 8-4 lead while fans were still streaming in for the late tip before a pair of Cain free throws followed by a Millender 3-pointer sparked a 10-0 Georgia run.
The Bulldogs were up 14-8 when Cain drained a trey at the 15:50 mark and led by as many as 10 in the first half after a pair of Wilkinson free throws made it 26-16 with 9:30 left in the half.
The Yellow Jackets chipped away at the UGA lead, tying the game, 40-40, on Mouhamed Sylla’s dunk at the 3:33 mark of the half.
Moments later, Sylla capped an 8-0 run with a conventional three-point play as Georgia Tech reclaimed the lead, 43-40, with 2:16 left in the half.
The Bulldogs responded with a 6-0 run capped by back-to-back Wilkinson fast-break dunks before a Kowacie Reeves Jr. jumper closed the first-half scoring.
Georgia returns to action with a 6:30 p.m. game on Monday against Florida A&M.
Georgia Tech returns home for its next game and will play host to Georgia Southern at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
About the Author
Mike is in his eighth season covering SEC and Georgia athletics for AJC-DawgNation and has 30 years of collegiate sports multimedia experience, 25 of them in the SEC including beat writer stops at Auburn, Alabama, Tennessee and now Georgia. Mike was named the National FWAA Beat Writer of the Year in January, 2018.
