The latest Georgia game ended just like the one before it: on a game-winning 3-point shot as time expired with the winning team celebrating on the floor of Stegeman Coliseum. However, this time it wasn’t the home team that was celebrating, as the Bulldogs fell to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 80-79 in overtime.
Saturday’s hero was Zac Swansey. Tonight Swansey felt the other end of the blow as he watched Kevin Palmer hit the 3-pointer from just past half court.
“As soon as he let it go, I said that thing looks good,” said Swansey.
Palmer led the Islanders, 6-6 on the season, with 31 points.
Swansey finished with three points, four assists and five turnovers.
Senior Corey Butler was forced to watch Palmer’s shot from the bench after fouling out late in the second half with eight points and nine rebounds.
“We had our shot the other night. They had theirs tonight,” said Butler.
With Terrance Woodbury out with an ankle injury and with very little production from Albert Jackson (one point and three rebounds) the Bulldogs were forced to depend on the play of their freshmen. Sixty-three of Georgia’s 79 points came from players not on last season’s roster.
Dustin Ware led Georgia with 22 points and Travis Leslie was a close second with 19. Leslie also had eight rebounds and five assists. Trey Thompkins led the Bulldogs in overtime with nine points. But turnovers were a problem for all three freshmen, as they each gave the ball away four times. Georgia had a total of 25 turnovers.
Leslie and Ware also missed two key free throws, Leslie’s miss coming with Georgia trailing 77-74 in overtime.
Thompkins pulled the Bulldogs within two and then Ware hit Leslie with a bounce pass that Leslie was able to lay in to give Georgia a 78-77 lead. Ware then came up with a big rebound off a loose ball after an Islanders miss and was fouled. Ware made his first free throw, but missed the second, giving Palmer and the Islanders a chance with 2.7 seconds remaining. Ware was 5-of-7 from the free throw line on the night.
“We knew exactly what we were playing against, but we did not execute or perform to the level we are expected,” said head coach Dennis Felton.
Georgia shot 43.3 percent from the floor to the Islanders’ 45.3 percent. The Bulldogs out-rebounded the Islanders 44 to 36.
The loss is Georgia’s first at home and makes them 7-4 overall. The Bulldogs play North Carolina A&T at home Sunday at 2:30.
Wiley can be reached at dwiley@scoreatl.com.
Loading ...
