Georgia (4-6) vs. Western Carolina (6-5) Tonight at Stegeman
Date: Monday, December 20, 2021
Tipoff: 7:00 p.m. ET
Location: Stegeman Coliseum (10,523) in Athens, Ga.
Watch: SEC Network+ (Jeff Dantzler, pbp; Mark Slonaker, analyst)
Listen: Georgia Bulldog Sports Network – Flagship: WSB AM 750; XM: 190; SXM App: 961. (Scott Howard, play-by-play; Chuck Dowdle, analyst; Adam Gillespie, producer)
The Starting 5…
• Through games of 12/18, Aaron Cook ranked No. 2 in the SEC and No. 6 nationally in assists at 6.6 apg.
• Georgia has used 5 different starting lineups in the first 10 games…largely due to injuries and illnesses.
• Braelen Bridges leads UGA with seven double-figure outputs…and has two more games with nine points.
• Tom Crean earned his 400th career victory with UGA’s 82-79 upset of No. 18 Memphis on Dec. 1.
• UGA’s seven first-year transfers combined to score 4,782 points at their previous schools.
The Opening Tip
The Georgia Bulldogs will play their second of three games in less than 100 hours on Monday evening when they host the Western Carolina Catamounts at Stegeman Coliseum at 7:00 p.m.
Georgia began the stretch with a Saturday date against George Mason and will conclude the span by facing East Tennessee State on Wednesday night.
All told, the Bulldogs are in the midst of an eight-game, 37-day homestand.
Keeping An Eye On . . . Entering Today’s Game:
Aaron Cook is…
• 32 assists from 400 for his career
• 8 outings from 150 games played in his career
• 22 steals from 200 for his career
Series History Against WCU
Georgia is 7-0 all-time against Western Carolina, with every matchup taking place in Athens.
Most recently, the Bulldogs defeated the Catamounts, 91-72, on Nov. 5, 2019 in the season-opener and collegiate debut of Anthony Edwards.
The contest was a back-and-forth battle most of the way, with 12 ties and 20 lead changes before the Bulldogs finally gained some separation.
With eight minutes to play, Georgia scored on three straight possessions, including three-pointers from Edwards and Tyree Crump, to gain a seven-point edge. The Bulldogs continued to pull away, ending the game on an 8-0 run.
Edwards finished the game with 24 points, the second-most ever by a Bulldog freshman in their initial outing behind only Dominique Wilkins’ 26 points in 1979. Edwards’ tally also represented the most by a Georgia player in a season opener since Ezra Williams’ 26 points against Furman on Nov. 16, 2001.
Scouting The Catamounts
Western Carolina arrives in Athens with a 6-5 record under first-year head coach Justin Gray.
The Catamounts began the season 1-3 before winning five of their last seven. Most recently, Western dropped a 73-72 decision to UNC Asheville on Dec. 11.
Nick Robinson, a graduate transfer from Valparaiso, leads the Catamounts on the offensive end with his 14.7 ppg scoring average. He also paces the team on the boards at 8.0 rpg. Travion McCray also is scoring at a double-figure pace and contributes 10.4 ppg.
Western sports four players who already have 25 or more assists on the season, led by Vonterius Woolbright’s 50 dimes (4.5 apg).
WBB Photos: Georgia vs. St. Francis
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