Georgia got off to a hot start as the Gators came to town on Saturday. After striking first, the Dawgs went on a run to make the score 10-6 before the first substitution. Noah Thomasson drilled a turn-around three-pointer, but Florida quickly attempted to silence the crowd with an and-one layup. Within seconds, Noah Thomasson made another three-pointer. Florida was not able to answer on the next possession, and after a foul on the floor, Florida called their first timeout. The Dawgs led 16-9 with 15:58 remaining in the first half. Noah Thomasson had 10 points within just 4 minutes of play.
Georgia looked to be showing some dominance in the paint on offense with back-to-back down low points, followed by two made free throws from Justin Hill. The Gators fought their way back into the game, but Noah Thomasson stayed hot. Russell Tchewa had one of his better offensive performances this first half, eventually forcing a Florida double-team. Georgia reached the double bonus with 3:14 remaining in the first half. Georgia took advantage of the double bonus, but the Gators continued to answer. Georgia led 42-40 when Florida’s bench was given a warning by the referees. Justin Hill then connected on a mid-range jumper followed by a Florida turnover. Noah Thomasson hit yet another mid-range fadeaway, giving the Dawgs a 46-40 lead. A Georgia defensive foul put the Gators on the line, where they missed and gave the Dawgs a chance to score before the end of the half. The game clock exceeded the shot clock by 7 seconds. Neither team ended up scoring on their final possession, and Georgia was up 46-40 at halftime.
Noah Thomasson was the leading scorer in the first half with 17 points, followed by Russell Tchewa with 10. Once again, Georgia struggled in the rebounding game this half, and similarly to the last time these two teams met, Florida out-rebounded Georgia in the first half. Georgia shot 60% from the field in the first half while Florida shot just 40%. The Dawgs trailed in the free throw game, shooting just 60% from the line as opposed to Florida’s 75% from the line.
Florida opened the second half with a deep three, but Georgia quickly answered with another Russell Tchewa layup. The Dawgs gave up another bucket down low, then missed a layup and allowed Florida to tie the game with another three-pointer. Florida took their first lead of the game with 14:52 remaining in the second half. Florida advanced their lead to 4 after a close goal-tending call on RJ Melendez. Jabree Abdul-Rahim made it a one-score game with two free throws. A Georgia turnover resulted in more points for Florida. The momentum continued to shift as the Dawgs called a timeout down 5 with 11:33 remaining. Georgia could not find an answer on either side of the ball. The Gators went into the bonus after taking an 8-point lead.
Tchewa made one of two layups, but the second bounced out of bounds off a Florida defender, giving the Dawgs another shot. Blue Cain hit a three, cutting the Gator’s lead to 3. Florida quickly missed and gave Tchewa another opportunity down low where he got fouled. He missed both. Florida was once again unable to convert. Jabree Abdul-Rahim was fouled and sent to the line. Abdul-Rahim hit both free throws. Georgia trailed one. At this point, the Dawgs were in the bonus and the Gators were in the double bonus. Blue Cain fouled Florida’s Will Richard as he shot a three. Richard did not miss from the line, and the Gators led by 4. Noah Thomasson added to his big game with another driving layup. Russell Tchewa was fouled down low again and brought the score within 4. Jabree Abdul-Rahim fouled Alex Condon on a three-pointer that he made, allowing Florida to make a 4-point play. Still not able to find an answer on defense, Georgia trailed 7. Down 6, Noah Thomasson drilled a step-back three-pointer. Florida called a timeout. The Dawgs were down 3 with 1:18 remaining. Florida went to the line and made one of two free throws. Thomasson took another deep shot but missed. Georgia trailed by 6 after two more Florida free throws.
Georgia ended up losing their 6th game in a row, 82-88. This is also the Dawgs’ 10th straight loss against Florida in basketball.
