Georgia basketball warmed up for its trip to the Bahamas with a 64-54 win over North Carolina Central late Sunday afternoon.
The Bulldogs (2-1) had nine players get at least 13 minutes of playing time against the Eagles (1-2) before an announced crowd of 5,699 at Stegeman Coliseum.
Jabri Abdur-Rahim led UGA scorers with 13 points, getting 10 of those points at the free-throw line on 11 attempts. Justin Hill scored 11 points and had a team-high 4 assists, and Silas Demary added 10 points and a team-high 4 steals.
Georgia, as a team, shot a season-best 80 percent from the free-throw line, making 20 of 25.
Blue Cain scored only 6 points on 2-of-11 shooting, but the freshman pulled down a team-high seven rebounds and blocked two shots.
Georgia outscored North Carolina Central by 13 points with Cain in the game, and indicator of the team’s efficiency with him in the game.
Coach Mike White has talked about the quality depth on this season’s UGA team, and how part of the early season process is sorting out different rotations.
White said on Sunday that North Carolina provided a physical challenge and dictated the tempo.
“(They) took the fight to us,” White said, “and we are fortunate to come away with the ‘W.’”
The Bulldogs were in control throughout the first half, leading by as many as 11 before taking a 27-23 lead into the half.
The Eagles opened the second half on a 9-2 run before Georgia asserted itself with a 13-0 run, reclaiming the lead for good.
The Bulldogs will get tested again in their next outing when they face Miami (2-0) at 3:30 p.m. on Friday in the Baha Mar Hoops Bahama Championship in Nassau.
Georgia will play a second game in Nassau at noon or 2:30 p.m. on Sunday against either Kansas State or Providence.