A Donte Williams dunk gave Georgia a lead late in overtime that it would not relinquish as the Bulldogs won their first SEC game of the year in a 57-53 overtime thriller over Tennessee.
“Our players weren’t hung up on starting 0-3,” said head coach Mark Fox. “It feels good to get our first (SEC) win.”
Gerald Robinson assisted Williams on the dunk with 1:03 left to give the Dawgs a 54-53 lead. Williams was fouled on the dunk, but missed the free throw; however, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope would gather the rebound and Robinson was fouled. After making both shots from the charity stripe, Georgia suddenly had a three-point lead with 26.4 left. After a miss by the Vols, KCP hit a free throw to ice the game for Georgia (1-3, 10-8).
Robinson led Georgia with 16 points and five assists while grabbing six rebounds.
“Gerald played like a senior late,” said Fox. “He made some key plays down the stretch.”
Robinson took the game to overtime with a driving layup to tie it at 46 with 13 seconds left. After a Trae Golden miss, the game went to the extra period.
The game could be called ugly at best, as neither team could sustain momentum or hit shots consistently. At the half, Georgia was shooting 34.4 percent while the Vols (1-3, 8-10) were not much better at 40 percent. For the game, the Bulldogs shot 34.9 percent while Tennessee hit 40 percent. The teams combined to make just 4-of-34 three-point attempts, with each squad netting two.
The crowd of 7,307 didn’t come close to filling the building, but the fans that made it were vocal throughout. They did not like the officiating very much, as they booed consistently throughout the game. Fox didn’t seem to appreciate the calls either, as he was given a technical midway through the second half.
The action heated up late just as it seemed like the two teams would limp to the finish line.
After trailing by five with six minutes left, Robinson tied it up with two minutes remaining on a driving lay-in. But Tennessee answered right back with a Jarnell Stokes bucket. Robinson then tied it up again from five feet. But the Vols came right back when Trae Golden scored to give his team a 46-44 lead with 30 seconds left. That set the stage for Robinson’s heroics.
Neme Djurisic and Williams each had 11 for the Dawgs. No other Georgia player reached double figures. Golden led Tennessee with 16. Williams and Dustin Ware led Georgia with eight rebounds.
After losing 10 in a row to the Vols, Georgia has now won three of five and two straight.
Next up for Georgia is the second in a three-game homestand, as the Ole Miss Rebels come calling. The Rebels are 1-2 in the SEC and 11-6 overall.
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This is why I left Tennessee. I do have to give the Dawgs credit though. If they make the NIT, that will be huge for Fox in his first rebuilding year. That is a good goal for this team!