Led by 20 points from senior Kenny Gaines, the Georgia men’s basketball team went on the road and completed its season sweep of South Carolina defeating the Gamecocks 74-72 Thursday night at Colonial Life Arena.
With the win Georgia (16-12, 9-8) now holds a 57-50 mark in all-time games against South Carolina (23-7, 10-7). The Bulldogs held the Gamecocks to just 34.2-percent shooting from the field on the night.
Gaines’ 20-point effort marks his third straight game scoring at least 20 points and the sixth time this season. J.J. Frazier and Yante Maten joined Gaines in double-figure scoring with 19 and 13 points, respectively.
“South Carolina is a very good team,” head coach Mark fox said following the victory. “I think they are an NCAA tournament team. We really had to battle and show our competitive toughness. We had a lot of guys make big plays down the stretch with Kenny Gaines and certainly J.J. Frazier hitting big shot. We are very proud of our team.”
The Bulldogs got off to a slow start as South Carolina built an early lead, but the UGA held the Gamecocks in check on the offensive end, grabbing a 15-11 lead at the second media timeout. Gaines’ hot hand led Georgia for the majority of the half as the senior scored several straight baskets. The Bulldogs’ defense was the story of the first period, holding the Gamecocks to just 33.3-percent shooting from the field. Georgia was led by Gaines, who finished with 14 points in the period, as the Bulldogs took a 39-34 lead into halftime.
The Bulldogs scored the first four points of the second half, but South Carolina answered with a small run of its own. The Gamecocks tied things up at 49-49 midway through the half, eventually taking the lead at 51-49 with nine minutes to go. South Carolina built their lead to five, but Georgia answered with a 7-0 run capped off by a basket from freshman Mike Edwards to reclaim its lead. Both teams traded leads over the final four minutes, but it was Georgia who scored when it mattered most. Frazier buried the dagger, a long three-pointer at the end of a 9-0 Georgia run, putting the Bulldogs up six with a minute to play to ensure the victory.
Georgia returns home for its final regular season game of the year on Saturday against Alabama at 4 p.m. ET at Stegeman Coliseum. The game will be shown on ESPN2.