Jump To Top of Page

SEC Tournament: UGA falls to Florida 85-80

Despite a highly contested second half coming down to the wire, the Georgia men’s basketball team closed out its season after an 85-80 loss against Florida in the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament second round at Bridgestone Arena on Thursday.

Noah Thomasson and Silas Demary Jr. both led the Bulldogs (17-16, 6-12 SEC) in scoring, each posting near identical stat lines with 14 points, four rebounds and three assists on the night. RJ Melendez and Justin Hill both followed closely with 13 points each, with Melendez knocking down three 3-pointers against the Gators (22-10, 11-7 SEC). Jalen DeLoach led Georgia on the glass with five rebounds paired with five points while four other Bulldogs cleaned up four boards each on the night.

Georgia spread the ball around early offensively as its first five field goals of the game came from five different players. Trailing 21-12 nearing the midway point of the period, the Bulldogs got hot from the field as they sparked an 18-3 run to lead 30-24 at under-4 timeout. Both sides went back-and-forth in the final stages of the half as Georgia took a 37-34 lead heading into the locker room.

The Bulldogs stretched out to a 46-39 lead early in the second half, but a 7-0 run by the Gators leveled the score before Florida jumped out in front to lead 66-60 at the under-8 break. A 10-2 Georgia run forced a 68-68 tally with just over five minutes left in the game, but the Gators pushed out in front once again late in the final minutes of play. The Bulldogs pulled the deficit to within a one possession game several times in the last minute, but it was too late as Georgia fell at triple zeros, ending its season.

Five Fast Facts

• The Bulldogs had four players score in double figures: Thomasson (14), Demary Jr. (14), Melendez (13) and Hill (13).

• Noah Thomasson scored in double figures for the fourth consecutive game (14), having done so in 12 of his last 15 outings.

• RJ Melendez knocked down three or more 3-point field goals in a game for only the second time this season (6, at Florida 2024)

• Jalen DeLoach led the Bulldogs in rebounds in a game (5) for the fourth time this season.

• Georgia outscored Florida on bench scoring by double, 36-18 on the night.

SB: No. 5 Georgia (21-3, 0-0) vs. No. 14/15 Alabama (21-3, 1-2) series begins this evening at Jack Turner Stadium

First Pitch: 6 p.m. / 12 p.m. / 12 p.m.

Location: Athens, Ga. 

Stadium: Jack Turner Stadium

   Admission: FREE (no tickets required / seating is first come, first served)

Game Day Central & Fan Information: https://gado.gs/bjt

Media Information

TV: SEC Network (Saturday, Sunday)

   Play-by-play: Matt Schumacker

   Analysis: Amanda Scarborough

Streaming: SEC Network+ (Friday)

   Play-by-play: Kaleb Frady

   Analysis: Megan Wiggins

Live Stats: GeorgiaDogs.com

Twitter Updates: @UGAsoftball

The fifth-ranked Georgia softball team opens Southeastern Conference play this weekend when No. 14/15 Alabama travels to Athens for a three-game series.

The series kicks off Friday night at 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday’s games will both air live on SEC Network at 12 p.m.

Follow the Bulldogs

– Friday game will stream live on SEC Network+. Kaleb Frady (play-by-play) and Megan Wiggins (analysis) will be on the call.

– Saturday and Sunday’s games will air live on SEC Network+. Matt Schumacker (play-by-play) and Amanda Scarborough (analysis) will be on the call.

– Live stat links can be found on the softball schedule page on GeorgiaDogs.com.

– Live Twitter updates will be available on the official Twitter page of Georgia softball, @UGAsoftball.

Fan Information and Upcoming Promotions at Jack Turner Stadium (https://gado.gs/bjt)

– Admission to every regular-season home game is free; no tickets are required to enter Jack Turner Stadium. Seating is first come, first served. Gates open one hour prior to first pitch.

– For the 2024 season, parking is available in the lot closest to S. Milledge Ave. The back lot is closed due to construction.

– The UGA Clear Bag Policy is in effect.

Alabama Game Promotions

– Friday, March 15

   – The first 500 fans will receive a long-sleeve t-shirt

– Sunday, March 17

   – Dad & Daughter Day #1 (registration full)

BULLDOGS BULLETIN

Series History

– Georgia trails the all-time series 21-50

– In Athens, Georgia is 12-19 against the Tide

– Alabama has won 10 of the last 11 meetings

– The last time Alabama came to Athens, the Tide swept the series in 2021

– Georgia last won a series against Alabama in 2018 in Athens, winning games one and two of the series

Georgia in the Polls

Georgia in the Poll: Week 5

     – USA Today/NFCA: 5

     – ESPN/USA Softball: 5

     – D1Softball: 7

     – Softball America: 6

     – RPI: 4

Recapping Action

Georgia defeated Georgia Tech 6-3 on Wednesday in front of a crowd of 1,312 at Jack Turner Stadium. Sara Mosley highlighted the game, hitting a pair of two-run home runs. The win snapped Georgia Tech’s 15-game win streak heading into the rivalry matchup. Jayda Kearney finished the game 3-for-4 at the plate, also hitting a home run. Lyndi Rae Davis drew three walks out of the leadoff spot. Tyler Ellison hit her first-career home run in a pinch-hit opportunity late in the game. Lilli Backes (8-1) earned the win in her start, working into the seventh inning. She struck out five, allowing three runs on two hits. Backes took a no-hit bid into the fifth inning. Shelby Walters pitched the seventh inning, slamming the door on the Yellow Jackets’ comeback bid.

A Look at What’s Ahead

Georgia’s 10-game homestand ends on Wednesday when Georgia Southern heads north to Athens. The first pitch against the Eagles is set for 6 p.m. The Bulldogs will then hit the road for their first road SEC series at Ole Miss on March 22-24.

Leadoff Lyndi Finds New Home in Order

Lyndi Rae Davis has found a new spot at the top of the Georgia batting order. Since taking over the leadoff role on March 8, Davis has drawn eight walks and put together a .545 on-base clip. In six games, she’s drawn a walk and scored two times, and hit a leadoff home run to lead off games. Twice, she’s drawn three walks in a game, both career-highs. She leads Georgia with 18 walks this season. Her 0.78 walks per game ranks third in the SEC.

Kerpics Pitches Birthday No-No

Senior Madison Kerpics pitched a no-hitter against Jacksonville State on Saturday, March 9, which also happened to be her 22nd birthday. She allowed just two walks in the five-inning outing and struck out three Gamecocks. The no-hitter was the 50th in the history of Georgia softball.

Baldwin Notches 100th Victory

Tony Baldwin recorded his 100th victory when Georgia beat Boise State at Stanford on March 1.

A February for the Books

Georgia concluded the month of February with a 13-1 record. This is the ninth time Georgia finished the month with one or no losses and the first since the 2019 season (2002, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2024).

BSB: Georgia opens Southeastern Conference action at Kentucky with first pitch at 6:30 p.m.

The Bulldogs (17-1) are off to a record start in year one under Ike Cousins head baseball coach Wes Johnson. The only baseball team with a better mark in school history was the 1908 Southern Champions that went 20-2, and the two losses were to a pair of professional teams.

Top 25 Ranking: Georgia made its 2024 debut in the national team rankings this week at No. 25 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association poll (NCBWA). This is the first ranking for the Bulldogs since the 2022 season when they were regulars in the weekly polls, reaching as high as No. 5.There are five national top 25 polls: Baseball America, D1Baseball, NCWBA, Perfect Game and USA Today Coaches.

Position Flexibility Equals Lineup Flexibility: Seventeen different Bulldogs have started a game while a trio of Bulldogs (Charlie Condon, Paul Toetz and Logan Jordan) have started at five different positions while freshmen Tre Phelps has started at four different spots. Also, Georgia has used 22 pitchers this year.

Bulldogs Bashing Baseball: Sophomore All-America Charlie Condon headlines an offense that leads the NCAA with 52 home runs and a .684 slugging percentage while ranking third in on base percentage at .477. Condon is the national leader with a .569 batting average, a .670 on base percentage, a 1.308 slugging percentage, 13 home runs, 37 hits and 31 runs scored. This season, Condon has made starts at third base, first base and all three outfield spots with a 1.000 fielding percentage in 52 total chances. Condon has 18 walks and only 10 strikeouts.

Did You Know? Thirteen different Bulldogs have hit a home run this season. Last week, five Bulldogs combined to hit six grand slams.  The single season school record for grand slams is eight set by the 2019 club. Georgia got grand slams from junior Slate Alford (two), sophomore Kolby Branch, senior Corey Collins, graduate Dylan Goldstein and senior Fernando Gonzalez. Alford hit .414 with four home runs and 15 RBI in six games last week while Goldstein batted .545-3-9. Gonzalez is enjoying his finest season of his career, hitting .378-4-18,

About UK: The Wildcats stand at 14-3 under Nick Mingione heading into SEC action. This past Tuesday, they completed the second-largest comeback during Mingione’s eight-year tenure. They rallied from a six-run deficit to beat Murray State 10-6. UK is batting .271 with 12 home runs and a .405 on base percentage. They are 38-for-44 in stolen base attempts with 13 sacrifice bunts. Kentucky has a 3.65 ERA and a .971 fielding percentage.

Last year, the Wildcats enjoyed a special season going 40-21 and advancing to an NCAA Super Regional where they lost to eventual national champion LSU.

            Did You Know? Georgia assistant head coach Will Coggin spent the past four seasons at Kentucky on Mingione’s staff.

Series History: Georgia leads the series 144-101-1 dating to 1921. Last year, the Bulldogs claimed a series 2-1 in Athens while the Wildcats took the 2022 series 2-1 in Lexington. Georgia’s last series win in Lexington came in 2019 (2-1).

Pitching Matchups: The Bulldogs likely will start graduate LHP Charlie Goldstein (3-0, 1.29 ERA) on Friday. Game two and three starters are TBA with possible options in sophomore Leighton Finley (2-0, 2.45 ERA), sophomore Jarvis Evans (2-0, 2.00 ERA) and graduate Christian Mracna (2-0, 2.35 ERA).  UK’s rotation is TBA.

Radio/TV/Live Stats Links

Friday at Kentucky, 6:30 pm ET

Radio: 960TheRef (Jeff Dantzler & David Johnston) 

https://georgiadogs.com/watch/?Live=4576&type=Live

TV (SECN+): Dick Gabriel & Doug Flynn: 

https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/6a377688-023c-498a-abd8-e47a43ca068c

Live Stats: 

https://ukathletics.com/sports/baseball/schedule/KentuckyStats.com

Saturday at Kentucky, 2:30 pm ET

Radio: 

https://georgiadogs.com/watch/?Live=4577&type=Live

TV (SECN+): 

https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=f23ed3d0-c293-446f-b3c4-00e2ce8db465

Live Stats: 

https://ukathletics.com/sports/baseball/schedule/KentuckyStats.com

Sunday at Kentucky, 1 pm ET

Radio: 

https://georgiadogs.com/watch/?Live=4578&type=Live

TV (SECN+): 

https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/782394ee-b66d-4845-bc71-a9b1a584b11b

Live Stats: 

https://ukathletics.com/sports/baseball/schedule/KentuckyStats.com

Football Practice Photos – March 14, 2024

Jump To Today’s Discussion Thread