On Tuesday, Dec. 5, Georgia men’s basketball defeated Georgia Tech 76-62 at home for the team’s fourth-straight victory. Georgia never trailed in the game and remains undefeated at home this season. Georgia improved to 6-3, while Georgia Tech fell to 4-3.
Georgia entered the game following a home win over Mercer, amidst a stretch of six straight home games in December. Georgia Tech was coming off of two straight ranked victories over Mississippi State and Duke.
Senior guard Noah Thomasson led the Bulldogs with 16 points. Justin Hill contributed 14, while Jabri Abdur-Rahim and Blue Cain each had 12.
The story of the game was Georgia’s stifling defense, which held Georgia Tech to 24-75 from the field. Georgia entered the half up 36-20, after Georgia Tech shot 9-34 in the first 20 minutes.
“I thought we defended at a really high level against a team that’s really difficult to defend, coming off one of the best weeks in college basketball,” head coach Mike White said.
A major contributor on the defensive side of the ball was freshman guard Silas Demary Jr., and Georgia outscored Georgia Tech by 19 points when Demary was on the floor, the highest total of anyone on the team. White said one of Demary’s biggest strengths is his length and defensive rebounding.
“As a defensive rebounding point guard, he’s got to be one of the better guys in that category in our league as a true freshman,” White said.
Georgia didn’t shoot particularly well, going 40% from the field, but the second half saw improved shooting from 3-point range, making 6 of 16 attempts as opposed to 4 out of 17 in the first half.
After a 3-pointer from Cain and a free throw from Frank Anselem-Ibe, Georgia took its largest lead of the night up 51-32 with just over 12 minutes remaining in the game. Cain said his confidence allows him to keep taking shots.
“I know the shots are going to fall if I keep taking good looks and stay confident,” Cain said.
A 9-0 run from Georgia Tech brought it back to a 14-point lead for Georgia, but any momentum was quickly silenced by another Cain 3-pointer.
“I know they look up to me and guys like Justin Hill, so you know if we’re not at our best how can we expect them to learn and grow from us,” Thomasson said of his younger teammates like Cain. “The ultimate goal is when I leave here that they’re better than when I got here.”
On the last day of classes for Georgia students, they showed up in big numbers to Stegeman Coliseum, on their feet and loud from start to finish. White said he thought the fans played a factor in the game.
“I thought our crowd was a big factor in helping us defensively,” he said.
This season, the student section has moved from behind one of the goals to half-court and students were sure to make an impact against rival Georgia Tech.
Georgia’s next game isn’t until Dec. 16, when the team hosts High Point for another non-conference matchup before SEC play begins in January.
