Georgia Bulldogs trounce South Carolina Gamecocks, 97-76
Jan 22, 2014; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs forward Cameron Forte (11) reacts after a basket with guard Kenny Gaines (12) and forward Nemanja Djurisic (42) against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the first half at Stegeman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
The Georgia Bulldogs faced off against a very lackluster South Carolina Gamecocks basketball team in Athens on Wednesday. The Dawgs were coming off their rather ugly win against an Arkansas team that couldn’t hit water from a boat, and the Gamecocks had lost four in a row heading into the game against Georgia, including an extremely close loss to a talented Ole Miss team. As expected, the Bulldogs were sizably favored, and with good cause, as they were able to grab a dominant, 21-point victory.
The first half opened with the Dawgs finally making some shots from 3-point land. In the game against Arkansas, I detailed just how disappointing UGA was beyond the arc, and that something would have to change for them to compete in the SEC down the stretch. Something changed in a big way as the Bulldogs shooters drained six 3-pointers in the first 20 minutes. Solid shooting from the floor, and steady play on the boards set the tone early, helped UGA establish a 45-34 lead at the half.
The Dawgs didn’t let up in the second half. Georgia continued their shooting display by making 55% from the floor, which should be good enough to win any day of the week. However, the key to this game was foul shooting. South Carolina quickly found itself in foul trouble which sealed their fate as the Bulldog shooters made 33 free throws on the night.
The player of the game was Nemanja Djurisic off the bench with 22 points, 3-3 on 3 pointers, a perfect 6-6 from the field, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal. The veteran forward helped lift Georgia to their fourth SEC victory, and 3rd place in the conference. However, Georgia will face much stiffer competition when they play a ranked Kentucky team this weekend on the road. Hopefully they will fare better in Kentucky than they did in Florida.