Marcus Thornton got slammed to the court on a flagrant foul but bounced right back up. The Georgia Bulldogs followed his lead Tuesday night as they withstood another furious rally from Vanderbilt to win 70-62 at Stegeman Coliseum.
Thornton’s spill served as a perfect metaphor for this team. Despite the nasty fall, the senior forward from Atlanta stepped up to knock down both free throws and barely missed any playing time the rest of the game. He finished with 14 points and six rebounds as the Bulldogs (13-5, 5-2 SEC) won their fifth game in a row.
“My mindset was just that I couldn’t let the team down,” said Thornton, the Bulldogs’ leading scorer and rebounder. “I fell on my back/neck area but I knew I was OK.”
Thornton wasn’t feeling so great afterward, however. He was feeling nauseated toward the end of the game and was being meticulously examined by doctors afterward in the Stegeman training room. They eventually released him to go home for the night but he was to report back for more tests early Wednesday.
Losing Thornton for any time going forward could be a real blow. Not only is he one of Georgia’s most productive players, but the Bulldogs are already without two other players due to injuries.
“I would certainly hope not,” Thornton said of having to miss practice or playing time. “Some of my parts are in pain. It was more my back, elbow, neck, all that stuff back there. It’s just a little stinger. I wouldn’t necessarily call it anything. There’s really no way of knowing right now.”
In any case, both Georgia and Thornton got what they wanted — another victory. The wins keeps them in a tie for second-place in the SEC heading to South Carolina on Saturday. It’s the first time the Bulldogs have won five league games in a row since February of 2013.
It was the second loss to UGA in two weeks for the Commodores (11-9, 1-6). They fell 70-67 in similar fashion on Jan. 14 in Nashville as they also mounted a comeback after falling behind by double-digits in the second half.
“I’m happy we won and I’m glad we don’t have to play Vanderbilt again,” coach Mark Fox said. “That team is going to win some games.”
The Commodores, who led by a point early in the second half, fell behind by 14 after Nemi Djurisic knocked down a pair of free throws with 7:27 to play. That capped a 20-5 Georgia run.
Vanderbilt rallied and got to within 59-55 with 2:31 to go. But the Bulldogs sealed the game at the foul line. They made 23-of-25 free throws in the game and 11 of 12 in the final 2:51 to secure the victory.
“We’re improving,” said Djurisic, who was 4-for-4 from the line and recorded team highs in scoring (15) and rebounds (9). “We weren’t good on free throws earlier in the year but we’ve worked on it and gotten better. We’ve learned how to finish.”
Thornton, Georgia’s leading scorer, was heading up for a dunk on a fast break when Vanderbilt’s Josh Henderson rose up and knocked Thornton hard to the floor. Thornton was upturned on the play with his head, neck and shoulders hitting the court first.
But Thornton popped up immediately and headed toward the top of the key. After an official review, it was determined to be a flagrant foul. Thornton went to the line and knocked them both free throws down, then left the game to be checked out by trainers on the ensuing possession.
He sat out several minutes in the first half but returned to finish the game. Thornton was 5-for-5 from the foul line in the game, one of five Georgia players who was perfect. Djurisic, J.J. Frazier (7-7), Kenny Gaines (2-2) and Yante Maten (1-1) were as well.
“That was really good to see us knock down free throws consistently down the stretch,” Thornton said.
The last time the Bulldogs won five straight in league play they finished 15-17 that season and did not earn a postseason bid that season. However, that didn’t have the resume like the one this one does. Georgia received 26 votes in this week’s AP poll and its RPI of 24 is the third-best in the SEC at this point, behind No. 1 Kentucky and No. 23 LSU. That has come as the result of four road wins and other quality victories. Kansas State is 5-2 so far in Big 12 conference play, Seton Hall has wins over St. John’s and Villanova and Stony Brook knocked off Washington.
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