Georgia begins season strong with rout of Bellarmine

Blue Cain and Jeremiah Wilkinson each scored 15 points Monday night as Georgia opened its season with a 104-59 rout of visiting Bellarmine in Athens, Ga.

Jake Wilkins came off the bench to add 12 for the Bulldogs, who canned 54.3 percent from the field, including a blistering 58.8 percent in the second half. A total of 11 players scored for Georgia, which owned a 38-29 rebounding advantage.

Jack Karasinski scored a game-high 23 points and also led all rebounders with eight for the Knights, but he didn't have enough help. Playing its first game under new coach Doug Davenport, Bellarmine converted only 40.4 percent of its shots from the field.

The biggest difference between these teams came via turnovers. The Knights committed 22, which the Bulldogs cashed in for 31 points, while Georgia coughed it up just six times for nine points. Cain, Wilkinson and Dylan James each logged three of their team's 16 steals.

Karasinski got Bellarmine off to the fast start it wanted by ringing up its first eight points in less than 2 1/2 minutes, but that lead didn't last long. The Bulldogs took the lead for good on Somto Cyril's putback dunk at the 16:40 mark and spent the game's remainder steadily adding on to the advantage.

They reached a double-digit lead for the first time when BYU transfer Kanon Catchings drilled a 3-pointer with 9:55 left, making it 25-15. Cain's short jumper with 2:51 on the clock got the cushion above 20 for the first time at 43-22. The margin reached 23 at one point before Karasinski's layup got the Knights within 49-29 at halftime.

The Knights mounted a little resistance to open the second half, getting within 57-43 on three free throws by Michael Wilson at the 14:59 mark. But Georgia repelled any thoughts of a huge rally by rattling off 18 straight points for a 32-point edge.

Brandon Klatsky settled the only remaining suspense by sinking a 3-pointer with one minute left to get the Bulldogs to the century mark.

--Field Level Media