Asa Newell steers Georgia to victory over Notre Dame

Field Level Media|published: Tue 3rd December, 21:22 2024

Dec 3, 2024; Athens, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs guard Silas Demary Jr. (5) is defended by Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Julian Roper II (1) during the first half at Stegeman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Asa Newell had game highs of 20 points and 11 rebounds, helping lead Georgia to a 69-48 win over Notre Dame on Tuesday in an SEC/ACC Challenge game at Athens, Ga.

Dakota Leffew added 16 points off the bench for the Bulldogs (8-1), who won their third straight game. Silas Demary Jr. chipped in 11 points and five steals. Georgia outrebounded Notre Dame 40-27 and had 19 assists to the Fighting Irish's five.

Tae Davis and Braeden Shrewsberry scored 14 points apiece, but the Fighting Irish (4-5) dropped their fifth straight game after a 4-0 start.

After holding a 12-point halftime advantage, Georgia saw its lead balloon to 41-24 on RJ Godfrey's mid-range jumper early in the second half.

Shrewsberry then had a jumper and 3-pointer to begin a 10-0 Notre Dame run that lasted until Leffew's jumper with 14:39 left, leaving Georgia in front 43-34. Nikita Konstantynovskyi's three-point play and Matt Allocco's layup trimmed the Fighting Irish's deficit to four with 13:11 remaining.

Georgia then held Notre Dame to just one field goal until the 5:19 mark, using a 14-3 run to take a 57-42 lead. Shrewsberry subsequently scored five straight for the Fighting Irish, but the Bulldogs finished the game on a 12-1 run.

Georgia missed its first nine shots from the field, including an 0-for-8 start on 3-point attempts, while falling behind 6-0. Somto Cyril's layup took the lid off the basket for the Bulldogs at the 15:14 mark of the first half.

After Garrett Sundra's 3-pointer gave Notre Dame a 9-5 lead, Cyril's layup jump started a 13-0 Georgia run that was capped with Demary's layup with 9:06 left in the first half.

Davis then scored five straight points to trim Georgia's lead to 18-14. After Shrewsberry's layup cut Notre Dame's deficit to 23-18, Newell's layup was the first of his six points during an 8-0 Bulldogs surge.

Following Davis' layup with 1:06 remaining, Newell's three-point play gave the Bulldogs a 34-22 halftime advantage. Newell led Georgia with 11 points in the first half, while Davis paced the Fighting Irish with 11.

--Field Level Media