Somto Cyril, Kanon Catchings lead No. 18 Georgia past South Carolina

Somto Cyril entered Colonial Life Arena with redemption on his mind. The starting center’s ejection against Florida ate at him, a feeling he desperately wanted to shake.

Cyril took the court with two primary focuses — more poise and less emotion — and turned in his best performance of the season. He shot a perfect 8-of-8 from the field, finishing with a career-high 18 points, as No. 18 Georgia earned a 75-70 victory over South Carolina.

“He’s proud of himself,” coach Mike White said. “Played with a lot more poise, owned a mistake that he made, talked about it openly with me and the staff. (He) was convicted to play with more poise and less emotion today.”

Georgia’s victory over its former division rival was far from pretty. The game included nine ties and 12 lead changes with the Bulldogs trailing for more than 22 of 40 minutes.

They faced an 8-point deficit with eight minutes left in the game before a 21-8 run secured the win.

“We did a lot of changing our looks defensively throughout the game,” White said. “Really settled in late-first half and then settled in down the stretch.”

South Carolina attacked Georgia’s up-tempo approach by slowing the game down. The Bulldogs entered the matchup with an average of 75.9 possessions per 40 minutes, the second-most in the country. They also scored nearly 26 fast break points per game, the most in the sport.

The Gamecocks held them to 66 possessions, their fewest of the season in games that tracked the statistic (Georgia’s victory over Cincinnati did not), with 18 fast-break points.

The Bulldogs still managed 75 points, with four players finishing in double digits. That’s despite scoring a season-low 34 points in the first half.

“I certainly didn’t expect to come in here and score 98 against a Lamont Paris-coached defense,” White said. “That wasn’t going to happen.”

Georgia used a team effort to overcome an early 12-point deficit. Sophomore forward Kanon Catchings led the team with a season-high 20 points, while Cyril tallied 18. Sophomore guard Jeremiah Wilkinson also scored 12, while junior guard Blue Cain notched 10.

Catchings made four of the Bulldogs’ six 3-pointers, finishing 4-of-9 from beyond the arc.

“We really played through him offensively when he was on the court,” White said. “I’m really happy for Kanon because he puts a lot of pressure on himself.”

Catchings, a transfer from BYU, is one of Georgia’s most confident players — as heralded by his teammates — but often gets lost in the shuffle of the Bulldogs’ aggressive lineup. He averages nearly 21 minutes on the court but scores less than nine points per game.

South Carolina’s defense gave him an opportunity to prove his ability, and he shined. The game marked Catchings’ first time surpassing the 20-point mark since Jan. 28, 2025 against Baylor.

“Hopefully this will help him settle in a little bit,” White said. “He deserves to play well.”