Down at half, Georgia rallies past High Point

Field Level Media|published: Sat 16th December, 19:48 2023

Dec 5, 2023; Athens, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Mike White reacts during the game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Stegeman Coliseum. credits: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Silas Dmary Jr. scored 12 points, RJ Melendez added 11 points and six rebounds and Georgia rallied for a 66-58 win over visiting High Point Saturday in Athens, Ga.

Noah Thomasson and Russel Tchewa each added 11 for the Bulldogs (7-3), who came off an 11-day layoff to win their fifth in a row and stay unbeaten at home (6-0).

Featuring one of the best offenses in the country at 89.1 points per game, the Panthers (8-4) fell well short of that average as their five-game winning streak was snapped despite Trae Benham's season-high 18 points.

The Panthers' Duke Miles finished with 15 points, Kimani Hamilton chipped in 11 points and 10 rebounds and Juslin Bodo Bodo grabbed a season-high 15 rebounds.

Down 33-30 at the half, Georgia took its first lead since the 16:07 mark of the first half when Melendez nailed an open 3-pointer with 11:02 to play to put the Bulldogs ahead 45-43.

Jabri Abdur-Rahim couldn't have picked a better time to collect his first points of the day. With 5:34 left, and Georgia up one, he stepped back and connected from beyond the arc for his 99th career 3-pointer, getting fouled in the process. His ensuing free throw made it 55-50.

Miles knocked down a 3-pointer with 2:04 remaining to pull the Panthers within 61-56 but the Bulldogs hung on.

High Point looked like the sharper team early thanks in part to Hamilton, who drilled back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Panthers a 17-10 lead at the midway point of the opening half.

The lead stretched to double digits when Benham launched a 3-point shot up that put High Point ahead 20-10.

A 3-pointer from Demary in the corner with 8:12 remaining ignited an 8-0 run for the Bulldogs, who were within 20-18 after a layup and free throw by Tchewa at the 6:26 mark.

Benham made his third 3-pointer of the day with 3:17 left, coming off a screen for the shot as High Point surged ahead 31-24.

The Panthers held a halftime lead as five 3-pointers and 15 offensive rebounds, leading to 11 second-chance points, helped negate a 22.5 percent shooting percentage.

—Field Level Media

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