WBB: UGA Meets WVU tomorrow in West Palm Beach
Georgia (10-2) vs. West Virginia (7-2)
Tuesday, Dec. 20 | 2:30 p.m. | Keiser University Arena | West Palm Beach, Fla
Radio: Georgia Bulldog Sports Network (Jeff Dantzler)
Watch Link: Click Here
Listen Link: Click Here
Storylines
» Georgia is in West Palm Beach for its second holiday tournament of the season. The Lady Bulldogs won the Paradise Jam earlier this year in the Virgin Islands.
» The Lady Bulldogs’ first matchup is against West Virginia at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday. Georgia plays San Diego State at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday.
» Georgia is 10-2 this season. It marks the quickest the program has picked up 10 victories in a season since the 2014-15 campaign.
» Tuesday’s matchup features two veteran coaches who are in their first years with their respective programs. Coach ABE came to Georgia after leading UCF to an American Athletic Conference title and the second round of the NCAA tournament. Dawn Plitzuweit went to West Virginia after leading South Dakota to the NCAA Sweet 16 a year ago.
» West Virginia is 7-2, with lone losses to NC State and Penn State.
» This marks the first-ever meeting between these two programs.
» Georgia has outrebounded 11 of 12 opponents this season, with Belmont narrowly edging Georgia 32-31 on the boards this past Sunday.
» Georgia seniors Diamond Battles and Brittney Smith each recently hit the 1,000-point mark in their careers. They are the 43rd and 44th players in Georgia history to accomplish that feat.
» Georgia forward Kari Niblack transferred to Athens after an outstanding career at West Virginia. Niblack made her Georgia debut against Mercer last week. She finished with nine points and five rebounds after hitting 5-of-6 from the free-throw line.
MBB: Dawgs Defeat Irish at Holiday Hoopsgiving
In a dominant performance, the University of Georgia men’s basketball team defeated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 77-62 in the final game of the Holiday Hoopsgiving tournament on Sunday evening before 3,087 spectators at State Farm Arena.
Fifth-year Braelen Bridges led Georgia (8-3) in scoring with 18 points, shooting a perfect 9-for-9 from the field, while junior Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe tallied a season-high 15 points on a perfect 6-for-6 shooting. Junior Jabri Abdur-Rahim pitched in with a 12-point, career-high 11-rebound double-double and senior Terry Roberts posted 10 points and five assists. For the evening, the Bulldogs shot 50 percent from the field and outscored the Irish 40-22 in the paint.
“This is by far the best that we have played (this season),” said Georgia head coach Mike White following the game. “We did some really good things in the last one at Georgia Tech down had 11-12 really good days of practice between games. Our preparation has been really good. We had some days off where we could focus on academics, but most importantly we had 14 guys healthy for the first time since practice started. We got contributions from everyone who stepped out there, whether it was offensively or defensively. An extra pass or loose ball… A lot of positivity on the bench. I like the culture and aura. We settled in a little bit offensively, playing interior basketball. Braelen Bridges and MA Moncrieffe go 15-of-15 from the field. You can win a lot of games doing that.”
After a slow start, the Bulldogs and Fighting Irish began to trade baskets. Georgia attacked the paint while Notre Dame (7-4) shot from range. A pair of triples gave the Irish a 13-7 lead at the first media timeout. Coming out of the break, the Bulldogs proceeded to use a 10-5 run to take their first lead of the game, 19-18, with nine minutes remaining in the first half. The two squads went back and forth again over the next six minutes of play.
With three minutes remaining in the half, Georgia found itself with a 34-30 lead, while Notre Dame found itself in foul trouble. The Bulldogs took a 41-36 lead into the locker room. In the first half, Georgia shot 50 percent from the field and went 9-of-11 from the charity stripe.
Coming out of the half, the Bulldogs continued to attack the paint and extended their lead to eight at the first media break. The ensuing six minutes were filled with defensive action as Georgia built its lead to 10. The Fighting Irish quickly cut the Bulldogs’ lead to three thanks to a 7-0 run, however, a corner three from Justin Hill sparked a 9-0 run that gave Georgia a 67-55 lead with five minutes remaining in the game. The Bulldogs would go on to win 77-62
Georgia returns to action on Wednesday, Dec. 21, when the Bulldogs host the Chattanooga Mocs at Stegeman Coliseum. The matchup with the Mocs tips off at 3 p.m. EST and will be aired on SEC Network+.
Jump To Comments