Exhibition games are supposed to be an opportunity to work out the kinks. Considering that, Georgia might lobby the NCAA to see if it can get another one.
The Bulldogs proved to have a lot of wrinkles to iron out as they played host to Georgia Southwestern in the unofficial first game of the season Thursday night at Stegeman Coliseum. They won 65-61, but it was much harder than it should have been.
Georgia trailed its Division II visitors from the Peach Belt Conference by five in the first half, were behind 26-23 at halftime and could never shake the Canes before finally eking ahead four minutes in the second half. The Bulldogs missed foul shots down the stretch and let Southwestern get dangerously close in the waning minutes. Their largest lead of 13 points came late in the game.
The best news for Georgia was the college debut made by freshman Yante Maten. The 6-foot-8, 240-pound forward from Detroit had a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds. In 28 minutes of play, he also had four assists and did not commit a foul.
Sophomore wing Juwan Parker was the Bulldogs’ only other double-figure scorer with 10 points. Georgia shot 39 percent from the field but had 16 assists to 10 turnovers.
Damien Leonard was Georgia’s chief issue. The 6-foot-4 guard had a game-high 25 points on 10-of-18 shooting and made five 3-pointers. He wasn’t your average D-II player, however. He was a 4-star prospect coming out of Greenville, S.C.’s, J.L. Mann High and started his career at South Carolina. He played at Furman last season before landing with the Canes for his junior season.
The Bulldogs, coming off a 20-win season, weren’t at full strength. They’re playing without high-scoring guard Kenny Gaines, who has been sidelined for weeks with an undisclosed illness. Gaines, who averaged 13 points last year, is expected to return the court this fall, but coach Mark Fox was “pessimistic” about him being ready for the season opener Nov. 14 against Georgia Tech in Atlanta.
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