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MBB: Georgia beats South Carolina in overtime

Eight overtime points from Kario Oquendo boosted the University of Georgia basketball team past South Carolina, 81-78, Saturday night before a sold-out crowd at Stegeman Coliseum.  

Mardrez McBride led the Bulldogs’ scoring effort with a season-high 17 points. Frank Anselem posted a career-high 12 points, while Oquendo tallied 15. Terry Roberts dished out nine assists, and Jusaun Holt grabbed a team-leading six boards.  

“A huge conference win for us,” Georgia head coach Mike White said. “I thought our crowd was incredible, a huge factor for us, allowing us to get some stops, helping us get some stops defensively in the full court and half court. We played really hard, got to continue to improve of course. South Carolina getting 13 threes was pretty significant to have to overcome. I thought we had some guys that haven’t at times played really big roles for us in my opinion, but were a big a factor in this one than anyone else. Namely, Frank Anselem, Jusaun Holt and I though Mardrez McBride played his best game as a Bulldog. Those guys were terrific, the crowd was terrific, great college game, South Carolina was terrific, and we had a chance to send it into overtime, we are very fortunate.” 

South Carolina (8-13, 1-7 SEC) quickly took the lead and kept Georgia (14-7, 4-4 SEC) at a distance in the early going until a tip-in layup from Jabri Abdur-Rahim gave the Bulldogs a 13-12 lead off a 5-0 scoring run. Both teams traded points before the Gamecocks built a nine-point lead, 29-20, off a pair of 3-pointers.  

Led by Abdur-Rahim, the Bulldogs attacked the paint and used a 7-0 run to get within two points with under three minutes remaining in the half. Back-to-back McBride triples knotted the score at 35 with 30 seconds remaining in the half, but the Gamecocks answered back with a dunk to close the first half and take a two-point lead into the locker room. 

After tying the game early in the second half, sharp outside shooting from Carolina helped it build the lead back to eight. Back-to-back dunks and a layup from Roberts fueled an 8-3 run for the Bulldogs, but they continued to trail, 58-48, with 10 minutes remaining in the game. 

A strong defensive effort from Georgia forced two Gamecock turnovers and allowed McBride to make a five-point play and close the gap to two points. Two free throw makes from Holt wrapped up a 10-0 run that tied the game at 62 with five minutes left. 

A layup from Holt and Anselem edged Georgia ahead, 70-69, with two minutes remaining. Tied at 71, Holt was sent to the free throw line and gave the Bulldogs a 73-71 advantage. South Carolina answered with a layup and nearly stole the win on a final-second steal, but a lost ball sent the game to overtime.  

Six uncontested points from Oquendo built a four-point lead, 80-76, with two minutes remaining in overtime. The Gamecocks added two free throws to put them within two with five seconds remaining, but a final three fell short to close the game. 

Georgia returns to the road this Wednesday, Feb. 1 to face Auburn at 7 p.m. on SEC Network. Earlier this season, the Bulldogs upset the No. 22 Tigers, 76-64, at Stegeman Coliseum. 

Video/Transcript: Mike White Postgame Presser – Georgia vs. South Carolina

Opening Statement 

”A huge conference win for us. I thought our crowd was incredible, a huge factor for us, allowing us to get some stops, helping us get some  stops defensively in the full court and half court. We played really hard, got to continue to improve of course. South Carolina getting 13 threes  was pretty significant to have to overcome. I thought we had some guys that haven’t at times played really big roles for us in my opinion, but  were a big a factor in this one than anyone else. Namely, Frank Anselem, Jusaun Holt and I though Mardrez McBride played his best game as  a Bulldog. Those guys were terrific, the crowd was terrific, great college game, South Carolina was terrific, and we had a chance to send it into  overtime, we are very fortunate.” 

On pulling through at the end… 

“I look forward to watching the film. We always talk about let’s try to get a stop, try to get a shot, we got plenty of time here to get a couple  stops and scores, this place will get loud, and it did and that was it. I thought Kario (Oquendo) offensively putting pressure on the rim, down the  stretch, getting to the line, struggled from the line a little bit, but really stepped up with his level of poise or swagger, or both. He stepped up the  confidence and converted at the end where it counted most.” 

On the press tonight… 

“It was huge. I just told the radio that I thought a couple of the biggest factors in the game were not only the guys I mentioned individually, but  the press and the crowd and I thought they worked hand in hand. When we got in press and it got really loud, it helps you with your press or  your half court defense, which resulted in pressure in the half court. When South Carolina was trying to run their offense it was really really  loud, and it’s a little bit harder to communicate. You experience that on the road in this league consistently, and this was a tough environment to  play in if you’re the opposition. I’m very thankful to our fans that made it out, and hopefully we can continue to do that and continue to improve  there. I thought our pressure in the full court was definitely a factor lead by Jusaun Holt at the point of it. Another factor was down the stretch,  it seemed like we pressed for 15 minutes, we made pretty good decisions. I thought we played really really hard and we didn’t foul. Our foul  discipline was pretty strong as well.” 

On the motivation to break the losing streak to South Carolina… 

“Yeah, we did but I’m not big into that type of stuff. I thought it might give our guys a little bit of added motivation. We talked about it at shoot  around, I guess it was 12 straight. You know, it’s pretty cool for our fans I guess. We talked about the fact we have the chance to end a signifi cant streak. It was a big win for us.” 

WTENNIS: UGA wins ITA Kickoff over Notre Dame 4-1

The sixth-ranked University of Georgia women’s tennis team defeated Notre Dame 4-1 on Saturday afternoon, in the championship match of the ITA Kickoff Weekend. 

“First of all, Notre Dame played a really great match,” said Georgia head coach Jeff Wallace following the match. “They have a good team and I think they are going to have a really good year. I’m super impressed with how our team rebounded after just getting beat in the doubles point… Singles started really well with how many first sets we were able to get. Closing out matches. It was high-level tennis. Everybody played great. A lot of fight. A lot of heart. A lot of determination. That is what it took. You have to earn that trip to Seattle and that’s what we did.”

In doubles action, Notre Dame (5-1) swept Georgia (2-0). Kowalski and Reasco fell to Julia Andreach and Carrie Beckman 6-3, while Hertel and Anastasiia Lopata drop their match to Rylie Hanford and Yashna Yellayi 7-5.

In singles, the Bulldogs picked up four wins on the day. Sophomore Mell Reasco picked up the first win of the day for Georgia, topping Yashna Yellayi 6-3, 6-2. She was quickly followed by Senior Ania Hertel who cruise to a 6-3, 6-1 win over Bojana Pozder. Graduate Meg Kowalski defeated No. 102 Nibedita Ghosh 6-0, 6-3, while sophomore Dasha Vidmanova clinched the match with a 7-5, 6-2 win over Julia Andreach.

WBB: Georgia (14-8, 3-5 SEC) vs. Mississippi State (15-6, 4-4 SEC) Today

Sunday, Jan. 28 | 2 p.m. ET | Stegeman Coliseum (10,523) | Athens, Ga.

TV: SEC Network + (Matt Stewart and Anne Marie Armstrong )

Radio: Georgia Bulldog Sports Network (Jeff Dantzler)

Storylines

» Georgia will host Mississippi State in Stegeman Coliseum on Sunday. Tipoff is at 2 p.m., and the game will be televised on SEC Network +.

» Mississippi State has won seven of the last 10 matchups. Georgia won the last meeting between the two teams, 66-63, in Starkville last year. 

» Georgia is looking for its first win against Mississippi State in Athens since 2016 — a string of three-straight losses. 

» The Lady Bulldogs are currently 49th in the NCAA NET rankings, while Mississippi State stands at No. 36 nationally. 

» Alisha Lewis has scored in double figures in back-to-back games. She led all scorers with 18 points during Thursday’s win against Missouri. It was her best scoring output since her sophomore season when she had 27 vs. South Florida. 

» Brittney Smith has led Georgia through conference play with eight double-figure scoring games in her last nine contests. Smith averages a team-high 14.1 points per game against league foes, which ranks 12th in the SEC. Her 52.0 percent shooting performance against conference opponents ranks sixth in the league.

» Battles leads Georgia in scoring (13.6 ppg), assists (68) and steals (36). She was one of just 50 players named to the preseason Naismith National Player of the Year Watch List.

» Georgia ranks first in the SEC in turnover margin, with a +4.45 average, and second in forced turnovers per game, averaging 20.3 per game, and in steals, swiping 10.5 per game.

» Georgia has forced 20 or more opponent turnovers in 14 of 22 games and has forced double-digit miscues in every contest.

» Georgia picked up its 10th win on Dec. 17. It marked the program’s quickest 10th win in a season since the 2014-15 campaign.

» Georgia has held four teams (Jacksonville State, NC State, Mercer and San Diego State) to their season lows in scoring. Under Coach ABE’s leadership, her teams at UCF led the nation in scoring defense in each of the last two years.

MGOLF: UGA Opens 2023 in Southwestern Collegiate

Date: Jan. 30 – Feb. 1, 2023

Time: All Day

Location: Westlake Village, California

Course: North Ranch Country Club

Season Stats: https://link.edgepilot.com/s/8802173d/7YJdXRasY0iGmFyxDYeMrQ?u=https://gado.gs/9z6

Live Stats: https://link.edgepilot.com/s/3fe73fe6/rzKJ–gZ0kW6G0w0dLGiOg?u=https://gado.gs/9yd

TV Info: The Golf Channel will air College Central from 4-4:30 p.m. ET, and then provide live coverage from 4:30-7:30 p.m. ET each day.

THE FIELD

Arizona State, Georgia, Oregon, Pepperdine, San Diego State, San Jose State, Texas, UCLA, USC, UNLV, Wake Forest and Washington.

THE LINEUP

Graduate Michael Shears, senior Ben van Wyk, junior Caleb Manuel, sophomore Maxwell Ford and freshman Carter Loflin. Sophomore Buck Brumlow will compete as an individual.

THE COURSE

North Ranch Country Club – Lakes/Oaks Course (Par: 72, 7,017 yards).

THE SCHEDULE

Sunday (Jan. 29): Practice round

Monday (Jan. 30): 18 holes, tee times off 1, beginning at approximately 11 a.m. ET

Tuesday (Jan. 31): 18 holes, tee times off 1, beginning at approximately 11 a.m. ET

Wednesday (Feb. 1): 18 holes, tee times off 1, beginning at approximately 11 a.m. ET

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