Georgia defends homecourt, knocks off No. 17 Oklahoma

Field Level Media|published: Sat 11th January, 21:07 2025

Jan 11, 2025; Athens, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs forward RJ Godfrey (10) is defended by Oklahoma Sooners forward Sam Godwin (10) during the first half at Stegeman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Asa Newell and Dakota Leffew scored 15 points apiece, leading Georgia to a 72-62 win over No. 17 Oklahoma on Saturday in Southeastern Conference play in Athens, Ga.

Silas Demary Jr. added 10 points and eight rebounds for Georgia (14-2, 2-1 SEC), which won its second game in a row after beating No. 6 Kentucky on Tuesday.

Jalon Moore led Oklahoma (13-3, 0-3) with 17 points and nine rebounds before fouling out. Kobe Elvis and Duke Miles scored 14 points apiece and Mohamed Wague chipped in 10 points off the bench as the Sooners dropped their third game in a row.

After trailing 36-33 at halftime, the Bulldogs scored the first six points of the second half and later took a 42-38 lead on Newell's three-point play. Oklahoma then retook the lead with a 10-3 run that started with 3-pointers from Brycen Goodine and Elvis.

From there, buckets by Leffew and De'Shayne Montgomery flipped the lead back to Georgia at 49-48 with 11:35 remaining in the game.

The Bulldogs created some breathing room when Justin Abson drained a pair of free throws and Newell completed a three-point play to extend Georgia's lead to six, 58-52.

After Wague's dunk for Oklahoma at the 7:02 mark, Georgia held the Sooners without a field goal for 3:57 -- until Moore's triple cut the Bulldogs' lead to 63-58 with 3:05 left.

Leffew then hit a floater to put Georgia ahead by seven with 2:33 remaining, and the Bulldogs hit six free throws in the final minute to seal the win.

A 3-pointer from Miles started a 9-0 Sooners run that knotted the score at 19 with 9:16 left in the opening half. Newell followed with a three-point play, but another Miles triple and Elvis' jumper gave Oklahoma its first lead at 24-22 with 7:44 remaining.

Moore's layup put the Sooners ahead by four before Blue Cain's layup and Leffew's triple swung the lead back to Georgia at the 4:42 mark.

Miles' two free throws gave Oklahoma a 36-31 lead with 30 seconds left. Newell then beat the first-half buzzer with a layup, trimming Georgia's halftime deficit to three.

--Field Level Media

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