ATHENS — Terry Roberts had 20 points, nine rebounds and six assists and Georgia held off a late rally from Bucknell for a 65-61 victory on Friday night.
Bucknell used a 9-1 surge, capped by Xander Rice’s 3-pointer, to pull within four points with a minute remaining. The teams traded a pair of free throws before the Bison forced a turnover that led to an Andre Screen dunk, cutting their deficit to 63-61 with eight seconds to go. But Justin Hill then made two free throws to seal it for Georgia.
Bucknell shot better from the floor, 44% compared to 33% for the Bulldogs, but Georgia made 23 of 26 free throws and had 15 offensive rebounds.
Roberts was 7 of 20 from the floor and made two 3-pointers. Jabri Abdur-Rahim added 10 points for the Bulldogs (3-1).
Rice scored 19 points for Bucknell (2-2). Screen and Alex Timmerman added 10 points.
Georgia pulled away from a 39-all tie with a 16-2 run for a 55-41 lead about 12 minutes into the second half. Abdur-Rahim and Roberts each scored five points during the stretch.
It was the third meeting between the teams but the first since the 1991-92 season. Georgia has won all three games.
