ATHENS — Three-point shooting proved to be the difference for the Bulldogs on Sunday in their 62-47 victory against East Tennessee State.
Junior guard Kario Oquendo made three 3-pointers in a three-minute span to propel Georgia, which received 16 points from Oquendo and 12 from senior guard Terry Roberts.
“Usually when I see one go in, I’m used to a lot more going in,” said Oquendo, who finished with four 3-pointers. “I just feel more comfortable putting the ball up because I just hit one.”
According to Oquendo, Georgia’s three-point shooting wasn’t by design. Rather, it was based on the flow of the game. The Bulldogs made nine 3-pointers in their victory.
Bulldogs junior guard Justin Hill provided a scoring boost off the bench, finishing with 14 points.
“Hill has been, arguably, our best player in the last few games, and he’s come off the bench,” UGA coach Mike White said after the win.
Georgia (5-2) jumped to an early 9-1 lead, but East Tennessee State (3-4) responded with a 12-0 run.
The Buccaneers’ run was ignited by Jalen Haynes, who scored a game-high 21 points.
The rest of the first half was back-and-forth as the teams tried to find their stroke from the field.
The Buccaneers shot 43% from the field in the first half, and the Bulldogs shot 41%.
Georgia’s Jailyn Ingram made his first appearance of the season after his ACL injury. He went scoreless in four minutes.
“Really, really happy for Jailyn Ingram,” White said. “It’s been a long road for him in getting healthy. He’s been through a ton of adversity in his career and worked really hard.”
The Bulldogs put the game away when they went on a 12-0 run midway through the second half. Three-pointers by Roberts and Hill fueled the late run. The lead remained above nine until the final buzzer.
“We slowed our tempo a little bit and just picked our spot,” White said. “We were more sharp in the early second half. I liked our shot selection better.”
Georgia hosts Hampton at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
