Georgia scored a nice victory at South Carolina on Saturday. And it might turn out to be an important one, too.
The Bulldogs dominated the second half of what was at first a tight contest and came away with yet another road victory, 73-56. It was Georgia’s third road victory in SEC play this season, assures that it will win at least half of its regular-season SEC games and matches the win total of all of last season. Pretty impressive considering the Bulldogs lost a sophomore — Kentavious Caldwell-Pope — to the NBA draft lottery.
More important, the victory keeps the Bulldogs (15-11, 9-5 SEC) in sole possession of third place in the SEC. With four games left in the regular season, that makes the prospect of a first-round bye in the SEC Tournament and a postseason bid a realistic possibility for Georgia. The Bulldogs could further help their cause by getting a sweep of Missouri Tuesday night in Athens (9 p.m.).
“We’re not ready quite yet to talk about that,” coach Mark Fox said of postseason play. “But seeding in the tournament is important.”
Kenny Gaines led the way for the Bulldogs on Saturday. The sophomore guard from Atlanta poured in a career-high 27 points and, at 5-of-9 on 3s, gave Georgia a presence beyond the arc that opened up the rest of the offense. Junior Marcus Thornton recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds and Brandon Morris added 12.
Sindarius Thornwell, the reigning freshman of the week in the SEC, led the Gamecocks (10-17, 3-11) with 18 points.
Georgia used a 16-1 run to open the second half and seize control of the game. Five different Bulldogs scored during the spurt, which turned a 34-34 nail-biter into a 50-35 advantage with 11:42 to play. Nemanja Djurisic capped the run with a 3-pointer 30 seconds after a baseline drive, adding his name to a list of scorers that already included Gaines, Thornton, Morris and Juwan Parker.
Georgia continued the onslaught and led by as many as 21 points. South Carolina didn’t make its first field goal of the second half until the 10:53 mark when
Georgia trailed by as many as seven points in the first half but surged ahead when Gaines got hot about halfway through. The sophomore guard scored nine points in a stretch of 2:08 and gave the Bulldogs an 18-17 lead with a 3-pointer from the left wing at the 9:36 mark.
Gaines proved to be the Bulldogs only reliable offensive option in the first half. He had 15 points by the time the teams adjourned to the locker rooms at halftime. Morris added nine.
Georgia didn’t help its cause at the foul line. The Bulldogs attempted 16 free throws but made only 10 (62.5 percent).
About the Author
