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MBB: Dawgs Defeat Wake Forest 80-77

In his first game at Stegeman Coliseum, Noah Thomasson led the Georgia men’s basketball team in scoring with 21 points as the Bulldogs defeated the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, 80-77, before 8,176 spectators on Friday evening.

All five starters for the Bulldogs scored double figures. Thomasson added five boards and a team-best three assists to his 21 points, Jabri Abdur-Rahim totaled 17 points with three 3-pointers and four rebounds while Russel Tchewa finished with 11 points and six boards. Both RJ Melendez and Silas Demary Jr. had 10 points, also contributing six and five rebounds respectively. As a team, Georgia won the battle of the paint, outscoring Wake Forest in paint points by a 46-26 margin.

After starting the game 6-of-9 from beyond the arc, Wake Forest led by eight points following the first 10 minutes. Georgia responded with a 20-4 run down the stretch of the opening frame to create a 40-36 lead heading into halftime. The Bulldogs carried this momentum into the second half, scoring 10 straight points capped off by a deep 3-pointer from Abdur-Rahim which forced a Wake Forest timeout. Despite leading by as many as 13 with seven and a half minutes to go, the Demon Deacons cut into the lead and had a chance to tie it on the final possession of the game down three points. Wake Forest had two shot attempts to push it to overtime but disciplined defense from Georgia forced misses as the Bulldogs claimed its first win of the season.

Georgia will return to the hardwood on Sunday for its next game against North Carolina Central at 5 p.m. ET, which will be streamed on the SEC Network+. This will mark the second contest between the two schools, with the Bulldogs previously beating the Eagles by 36 points on Dec. 4, 2019.

Five Fast Facts

• With 17 points, Jabri Abdur-Rahim reached double-digit points for the 21^st time in his career, also making three 3-pointers for the second-straight game.

• Silas Demary Jr. hit double-digit points in the contest, marking the first time he has reached the figure in his collegiate career.

• Georgia is the only Power conference team in the nation to open the season with back-to-back games against Power conference opponents.

• Georgia improves to 55-6 all-time in home openers at Stegeman Coliseum. This season is the first time since 2017 when the Bulldogs’ first home game wasn’t also their initial contest of the season.

• Georgia now holds a 5-3 record in the team’s series against Wake Forest. This marks the first of four Atlantic Coast Conference teams the Bulldogs will play during the non-conference slate – Miami (Nov. 17), Florida State (Nov. 29), and Georgia Tech (Dec. 5).

Key Quote

#1 Jabri Abdur-Rahim, Guard: “It’s huge. I mean, we didn’t want to go 0-2 and we didn’t want to lose in front of our fans. Beating a team like that shows how good we can be. We knew how good we were, we just had to put it on display for everyone else to see.”

Team Notes  

• The starting lineup was freshman Silas Demary Jr., junior RJ Melendez, senior Jabri Abdur-Rahim and graduates Noah Thomasson and Russel Tchewa  
• Georgia led 40-36 at halftime.  
• Nine Bulldogs entered the game to contribute to the scoring effort.  
• All five Georgia starters put up double figures: Noah Thomasson (21), Jabri Abdur-Rahim (17), Russel Tchewa (11), Silas Demary Jr. (10) and RJ Melendez (10).  
• This is the eighth all-time meeting between Georgia and Wake Forest. Georgia improves its head-to-head record to 5-3.   
• Georgia’s largest lead came at 13 points late in the second half.   
• The Bulldogs held the lead for 28:55 of the game.  
• Georgia is the only Power conference team in the nation to open the season with back-to-back games against Power conference opponents.  
• Georgia improves to 55-6 all-time in home openers at Stegeman Coliseum. This season is the first since 2017 when the Bulldogs’ first home game wasn’t also their initial contest of the season.  
• Georgia is 13-5 when leading at halftime under head coach Mike White.  
• Georgia is 16-8 when the Bulldogs’ bench outscores the opponents’ reserves under head coach Mike White.   

Individual Notes  

• Jabri Abdur-Rahim posted his 21st double-digit point performance in his career. 
• Noah Thomasson led the Bulldogs in scoring with 21 points and three assists.  
• Silas Demary Jr. hit double-digits for the first time in his career. 
• Russel Tchewa reached double-digits for the first time as a Bulldog and 31^st time in his career. 
• RJ Melendez scored in double figures in a second consecutive game and for the 12^th time in his career.  

WBB: Georgia falls to Belmont

The University of Georgia women’s basketball team fell to the Belmont Bruins, 76-50, Friday evening at the Curb Event Center. 

Georgia moves to 1-1 on the season and will host Georgia Southern at 7 p.m. ET Monday at Stegeman Coliseum. 

After Georgia scored the first four points in the game, Belmont countered with an 11-0 run to take the early lead. The Bruins gained control from that point, building a 20-point advantage at 32-12 with just over six minutes remaining in the second quarter. 

The Lady Bulldogs answered to climb back in the game before the half. Baskets by Asia Avinger and De’Mauri Flournoy and big minutes from Fatima Diakhate cut the halftime deficit to just 10, with a 36-26 score at the break. 

Belmont then scored the first 16 points of the third quarter and never looked back. 

Georgia was led by 10 points a piece from Zoesha Smith, Flournoy, Avinger and Javyn Nicholson. The Bruins hit 13 3-pointers, led by nine triples from Kendal Cheesman. 

Seniors who will be recognized prior to kickoff today

Thirty members of Georgia’s senior class will be recognized before Saturday’s game against Ole Miss. (As is customary post-COVID, some still have eligibility remaining and could return next season).

The Bulldogs scheduled to be recognized are the following: offensive lineman Austin Blaske (Faulkville), defensive lineman Warren Brinson (Savannah), tight end Cade Brock (Subligna), offensive lineman Chris Brown (Savannah), running back Sevaughn Clark (Dawsonville), outside linebacker Luke Collins (Birmingham, Ala.), inside linebacker Graham Collins (Atlanta), running back Joseph Daniels (Johns Creek), running back Daijun Edwards (Norman Park), wide receiver Braxton Hicks (Tiger), defensive back Dan Jackson (Gainesville), offensive lineman Miles Johnson (Blue Ridge), offensive lineman Chad Lindberg (League City, Texas), defensive lineman Zion Logue (Lebanon, Tenn.), wide receiver Ladd McConkey (Chatsworth), running back Kendall Milton (Fresno, Calif.), snapper William Mote (Hoover, Ala.), quarterback Jackson Muschamp (Columbia, S.C.), offensive lineman Tate Ratledge (Rome), wide receiver Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint (Pompano Beach, Fla.), tight end Drew Sheehan (Woodstock), defensive back Tykee Smith (Philadelphia, Penn.), wide receiver Arian Smith (Bradley, Fla.), defensive back Colby Smith (Danielsville), defensive lineman Nazir Stackhouse (Stone Mountain), defensive back Patrick Taylor (Johns Creek), offensive lineman Xavier Truss (West Warwick, R.I.), offensive lineman Sedrick Van Pran (New Orleans, La.), wide receiver George Vining (Macon) and placekicker Jared Zirkel (Kerrville, Texas).

The 2023 senior class owns a 46-3 record, which ranks second only to the 2022 class that went 49-5. Both classes were part of back-to-back national championships.

The Senior Night recognition will begin at 6:42 p.m. Kickoff for Saturday’s game against the Rebels will be at 7:08 p.m. on ESPN.

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