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MBB: Noah Thomasson leads UGA to win over Winthrop
Noah Thomasson knocked down a career-best five 3-pointers and scored 24 points to help the Georgia men’s basketball team defeat Winthrop, 78-69, inside Stegeman Coliseum on Friday evening before 6,046 spectators.
Three Bulldogs (3-3) reached double figures in scoring on the night led by Thomasson’s 24. Off the bench, Justin Hill scored 15 points and dished out three assists while Jabri Abdur-Rahim started for the sixth-straight game, the most in his career, and added 10 points with four rebounds. As a team, Georgia won the battle on the glass for the first time this season, out rebounding Winthrop (4-3) by a 39-33 margin.
Despite an early nine-point advantage from Georgia, Winthrop was able to go on a 14-2 run to control the lead just over the midway point of the half. The Bulldogs managed to swing the momentum back in their favor by outscoring the Eagles over the final five minutes of the first half to carry a 36-29 lead into the locker room. Georgia began pulling away as the second frame began, leading by as many as 15 points following a thunderous dunk from Frank Anselem-Ibe. Although Winthrop pulled it within four with just under five minutes to go, Georgia managed to pull away and pick up its third win of the season.
The Bulldogs will return to the hardwood on Wednesday, Nov. 29 for a road contest against Florida State inside the Donald L. Tucker Center at 9:15 p.m. ET. The game, which will be televised on the ACC Network, will mark the first time the programs have played since 1981, where Georgia won on the road. The team will then return to Stegeman Coliseum for a six-game homestand, beginning with Mercer on Dec. 1.
Five Fast Facts
• Noah Thomasson posted a season-best 24 points off a career-high five 3-pointers on seven attempts. This marks his second 20-point game of the season and 24th of his career.
• Georgia led 36-29 at halftime, marking the second-fewest points the Bulldogs have allowed in a half this season.
• The Bulldogs had a 1.3 assist-to-turnover ratio against Winthrop, moving the team to 3-0 when having at least an even assist-to-turnover ratio or better.
• Noah Thomasson’s five 3-pointers marks the fifth time that a Georgia player has made at least five buckets from beyond the arc under head coach Mike White.
• The Bulldogs outscored the Eagles in bench points by a 27-14 margin. Georgia has now outscored opponents in bench points in all but one game this season.
Key Quote
Head Coach Mike White: “You probably certainly didn’t learn how to just put your opponent away, but I thought it gave the opportunity for our veteran guards to step up and make some big plays down the stretch. Make some winning plays offensively when we had some empty possessions. They put some game pressure on us for sure, and to see Noah [Thomasson] step up the way he did with Justin Hill in the backcourt. Our production on the offensive glass was a big factor. We can get into other factors as well, but you didn’t ask about that. Down the stretch, it gave us an opportunity for those guys hopefully moving forward to gain some confidence knowing they hit some big shots we rebound down the stretch.”
MBB: Dawgs in the Pros Update
A number of former Bulldogs are well underway in the professional seasons abroad professionally, with a pair beginning chapters with new teams. Further, three Bulldogs are continuing to help their squads stateside during this young NBA season.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has helped the Denver Nuggets to maintain its strong start to the 2023-24 NBA season. The 2012 first-round pick has started in all 14 games for the Western Conference squad so for this season, averaging 10.2 points per game and 1.9 rebounds per game. The guard is tied for eighth in the league in assists per game with 1.8, with his biggest outing coming against the New Orleans Pelicans on November 7. Caldwell-Pope has amassed 143 points this season, 34 assists and 23 steals to help the reigning champions to the second-best record in the conference.
In the Eastern Conference, Nic Claxton has recovered from a high-ankle sprain suffered in the Brooklyn Nets’ season-opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers. After an eight-game absence, Claxton returned to action against the Washington Wizards in NBA In-Season Tournament group play action. The center has started all four games since returning from injury, posting 44 points, 34 rebounds, 10 blocks and five assists in that span. His most productive outing came against the Miami Heat on November 16 when he tallied 16 points, six rebounds, two assist and three blocks. The Nets are currently in ninth place in the conference and hold a 6-7 record.
Former No-1 overall pick Anthony Edwards has continued his fiery start to the NBA season with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Edwards has started all 13 games for the Northwest division leaders, and his 25.8 points per game slots him into the top-15 in scoring average across the league. Edwards has led the team in scoring in eight games this season and reached double-digits in every contests. The guard has enjoyed a steady November from the free-throw line knocking down his attempts at a 83-percent clip. In total, Edwards has scored 335 points, addings 77 rebounds (5.9 rpg), 66 assists (5.1 apg) and 18 steals (1.4 spg). The Timberwolves are 10-3 and sit in first place in the Western Conference.
Thirteen former Bulldogs have been underway in their respective seasons overseas. A review of each player’s season to date has been compiled below.
Braelen Bridges continues his first year as a professional with the Leicester Riders in the United Kingdom BBL. Through 12 games played, Bridges has scored 93 points (7.8 ppg), with 43 rebounds (3.6 rpg), 11 assists (0.9 apg), seven blocked shots (0.6 bpg) and five steals. The center scored in double-digits (12 points) for the third time this season in his team’s contest against the London Lions on November 10. The Leicester side own a 6-7 record this season and sit in seventh place in league standings.
In Qatar, Aaron Cook has inked a contract to play for Al Khor in the Qatari Basketball League for the 2023-24 season. Cook has played one game for the outfit since joining, playing all 40 minutes and scoring 23 points. The guard added on nine rebounds, seven assists and four steals in his debut. Al Khor sits at the bottom of the league standings, and with the addition of Crump, will look to improve on a 0-4 start.
Nemanja Djurisic has played six games this season in the Polish OBL and has helped the team to a 5-4 start to sit in sixth place in the league. The forward has tallied 162 minutes (27 mpg) and scored 69 points (11.5 ppg). In his last contest against MKS DG on November 19, Djurisic posted 16 points and 11 rebounds, the latter being a season high.
John Florveus is continuing his strong run of form for Levski in the Bulgarian National Basketball League. In his last two outings, Florveus has scored 28 points and added 16 rebounds, two assists and blocked shots. In all seven of the center’s contests this season, he has recorded double digits in scoring, with two double-doubles sprinkled into the mix. The Polish outfit has enjoyed a 5-2 start to the season and sits in fourth place in the standings.
In Turkey, former first-team All-Southeastern conference selection J.J. Frazier has paced his Bornova squad in the Turkish Basketball League. In his last two run outs, Frazier has scored 26 and 21 points, respectively, a team-high in the latter. His 26 points against Sigortam.net on November 11 was also a season-high, and the guard added 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals in the performance. Bornova sits in 16th place in league standings behind a 3-8 record.
Rayshaun Hammonds has continued to impress for Avtodor in the Russian VTB United League through 11 games played. Hammonds has scored in double digits figures in all but one contest this season, with a season-high of 25 coming on October 14 against Enisey. In total, the center has amassed 178 points (16.2 ppg), 75 rebounds (6.8 rpg) and 14 steals (1.3 spg) on the back of 329 minutes played (29.9 mpg). The Russian club is 3-8 and sits in 13th place in the standings.
Circus Brussels Basketball finished up a busy cluster of their season after playing three games this past week. Jordan Harris’s contributions of 29 points (9.7 ppg), 19 rebounds (6.3 rpg) and five assists helped to keep the Belgian club in the three contests. His 10 rebounds in his most recent game against Charleroi were a season-high. Circus Brussels is tied for second place in the BNXT League with a 5-4 record and 14 points.
Another first-year professional, Jailyn Ingram, as helped Gostivar in the North Macedonia Prva Liga to back-to-back league wins. A season-high 26 points against Cair 2030 helped his club to a 89-84 win on November 11, and the forward has tallied 127 points (15.9 ppg) in eight games played. Ingram has continued to be a strong presence in the paint pulling in 49 boards (6.1 rpg) and eight blocked shots (1.0 bpg) this season. The North Macedonia outfit sits in eighth place in league standings with a 4-4 record.
Travis Leslie has begun his new season in the West Asia Super League with Kazma following his move from Polish side Legia Warsaw. In his first game of the season, Leslie accounted for 21 points and 11 rebounds, both team-highs, as well as three assists. The Kuwait outfit dropped the season-opener to Al-Manama.
In the Japan, a pair of former Bulldogs are continuing to help pace their squads in their mature seasons. Former All-Southeastern conference player of the year, Yante Maten, posted a season-high 27 points in San-en NP’s most recent contest against the Ibaraki Robots on November 12. With San-en NP off to a 12-2 start, Maten’s 171 points (12.2 ppg) and 107 rebounds (7.6 rpg) this season, have helped the Japanese side climb to second place in the Japanese B-1 League Central division. Terrance Woodbury, with the Kumamoto Volters, has helped his side to be in third place in the Japanese B-2 League West division with a 9-6 record. In his last two games, Woodbury has exploded for 47 points (23.5 ppg). On the season, the guard has recorded 303 points (20.2 ppg), 60 rebounds (4.0 rpg) and 19 steals (1.3 spg).
In Italy, another pair of former Bulldogs are enjoying their seasons.
Derek Ogbeide helped inspire Pistoia in the Italian Serie A to its third win of the season on November 19 with nine points, 10 rebounds and a pair of blocks and steals. Ogbeide has accounted for 220 minutes so far this season (27.5 mpg) while also scoring 90 points (11.3 ppg). The Italian side sit in 13th place in league standings. Scafati, also competing in the Italian Serie A, sit three places above Pistoia in 10th place with a 4-4 record.
Gerald Robinson’s consistent contributions of 34 points (11.3 ppg) and 12 assists (4.0 apg) for Scafati have helped the outfit to two wins out of the last three games. On the season, Robinson has tallied 91 points (11.4 ppg), 21 rebounds (2.6 rpg) and 46 assists (5.8 apg).
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