Georgia traveled over the weekend in an attempt to get off to a strong start in SEC competition. With a strong shooting effort and a standout performance from big man Russell Tchewa, the Dawgs managed to hold off Missouri, winning 75–68.
UGA made 48% of its field goals (24 of 50) and 43% (12 of 28) of its three-pointers. Tchewa made eight of nine free throws while going a perfect five for five. In addition to grabbing 11 rebounds, the 7-foot, 275-pound senior recorded his first double-double of the year.
Early on, Georgia (11-3, 1-0 SEC) looked hot. After a 16-0 run, the Dawgs led by 17 points at the six-minute mark of the first half. Noah Thomasson, who started the game 3-for-3 from behind the arc and finished with 13 points in the first half, was a major contributor to that run.
However, the Tigers (8-6, 0-1 SEC) responded with a 15-0 run of their own, and the Bulldog lead had shrunk to 2 by the time the halftime buzzer sounded.
Both sides significantly decreased their output, at least in terms of points scored, during the back-and-forth second half. Sean East II’s lay-in with 11:23 remaining gave Mizzou its first lead since the opening minutes. East scored 18 points in the game, more than any other Tiger. After a short while, Mizzou increased its lead to three. But that would be the end of the Dawgs’ bleeding.
Silas Demary Jr. hit a corner three with three and a half minutes left to give UGA a four-point lead. With 10 points in the afternoon, the rookie gave the Bulldogs the momentum they needed to win in the end with his clutch shot.
“I thought we hit some timely threes where if two or three of them don’t go, we could’ve been in trouble and the game could’ve gone the other way,” said Georgia Coach Mike White after the game. “I thought down the stretch, we were pretty sharp. And of course, the bench scoring continues to help us.”
Behind senior guard Justin Hill’s 16 points on Saturday, the Dawgs bench scored 23 points.
The Bulldogs’ next test will take place on Wednesday night in Athens when they visit Arkansas (9-5, 0-1 SEC). Georgia will have the chance to begin 2-0 in conference play for the first time since the 2013–14 campaign.
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