Georgia Men’s Basketball continues to improve after they secured a loud victory against Charleston Southern 81-65 Sunday afternoon. This win puts the Dawgs at an outstanding 11-1 record, which is their best start since the 2001-2002 season. The win also highlighted the depth and balance the dawgs have been playing with this season. 

The game started off with an Asa Newell spark, putting up the first 5 points of the game, including a three-pointer. The Dawgs built some momentum even stretching the lead to 11 midways through the first, but CSU came clawing its way back. CSU responded with an 11-0 run to tie the game up at 21. Thankfully for Georgia, De’Shayne Montgomery was able to get his feet under him quick and broke off for 8 straight points. This put the dawgs up 37-26 at the half. 

Coming out of the break, the Dawgs looked to finish what they started. Their relentless play on both sides of the ball extended the lead to nearly 20 late in the second half. For Charleston Southern, Taje’ Kelly was a standout as he finished with 29 points and 10 rebounds. However, this performance wasn’t enough to outlast the dawgs well rounded attack, with three players (Montgomery, Newell, and Leffew) scoring in double digits. 

Some key takeaways for Georgia include their depth at every position and balanced scoring. When Coach White was asked about the depth of the team, he said, “We’ve got really good depth in our front court and our backcourt. We talked about the impact that Justin Abson and Dylan James and Somto Cyril had on the game as frontcourt guys. Those back court guys, the mount, the two-headed mount, those guys came in and played really well, got baskets. They were pretty solid defensively as well. Our guards could have done a better job to help us on the glass, both offensively and defensively, but it’s nice; it’s a luxury to have some depth in both our backcourt and our front court.” Coach Mike White was able to utilize 10 players for over 10 minutes each. This strategy builds chemistry between players, keeps players fresh, and allows each player to gain experience in the game. Defensively they were able to make their presence felt with 8 steals and 6 blocks, and they also held it down on the offensive side with 50.8% shooting from the field. 

This is a promising win for the Dawgs as they approach SEC play.  With South Carolina State the only non-conference opponent left, they look to be able to improve before they face 17^th ranked Ole Miss on January 4^th. Georgia looks poised to compete and make waves in the conference with more depth and offensive efficiency. With a historic start to the season, this team looks to be firing on all cylinders.