ATHENS – Georgia basketball took its time working back into playing shape after its 11-day break, gutting out a rocky 66-58 win over High Point on Saturday.
The Bulldogs (7-3) trailed the Panthers (8-4) through most of the first half before seizing control late in the game. UGA mounted a 12-3 scoring run from the 8:18 mark to 3:15 remaining to snag a 59-50 lead.
The teams traded blows from there, and UGA sank five of its last six free throw attempts to seal the win.
Jabri Abdur-Rahim nailed a four-point play at the 5:35 mark to take Georgia’s first two-possession lead of the game. RJ Melendez delivered a steal-and-slam two possessions later as the scattered Stegeman Coliseum crowd of 6,523 celebrated its first comfortable lead of the day.
Freshman Silas Demary led the Bulldog offense for the second time this season, scoring 12 points with 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and a block. The highest-rated member of Georgia’s 2023 recruiting class led the team in assists and steals, as well.
“I go back to the way we started the second half, and it was his defensive intensity and effort that I thought got us going in the second 20,” White said. “He led by example as a true freshman for us.”
White’s main concern was defending High Point’s offensive firepower going into Saturday. The Panthers rolled into Athens ranked No. 9 in points per game (89.4) and 3-pointers made (105).
In fact, it was the Bulldogs’ offense – particularly in the paint – that kept High Point in the lead for most of the game. Georgia was out-rebounded 51-40 on Saturday and pulled down just 7 offensive boards, compared to High Point’s 25.
That gave High Point plenty more scoring opportunities than Georgia had. The Panthers took 21 more shots from the floor than Georgia did and scored 13 second chance points.
UGA still managed to keep High Point in check defensively. The same Panther team that entered Saturday making 49.7 percent of its attempts shot a season-low 23 percent from the floor.
“Our first-shot defense was terrific,” White said. “They do a lot of stuff, too, where they make you communicate.
“I thought vocally, we were pretty sharp there in the second half, especially.”
Georgia cut High Point’s early 10-point lead down to a 33-30 halftime advantage with a pair of late scoring runs.
The Bulldogs’ 11-day break appeared to wear on its offense in the first 12 minutes, as they shot a sluggish 4 of 14 from the floor. The Panthers looked much sharper from the tip, sinking four 3-pointers to build a 20-10 lead by the 8:40 mark.
That was when Georgia started showing signs of life offensively. Demary nailed a corner 3-pointer to ignite an 8-0 scoring run for the Bulldogs.
UGA closely trailed the Panthers throughout the rest of the half, mounting a 6-0 run to pull within a possession of High Point right before the buzzer.
High Point simply created more scoring opportunities than UGA throughout the half. The Panthers scored 11 points off their 15 offensive rebounds while Georgia failed to score on one offensive rebound.
The Bulldogs only took 23 shots in the half. High Point took 40.
Georgia is back in action hosting Mount St. Mary’s at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.
