Georgia men’s basketball matches best start since 1930

ATHENS, Ga. — The Georgia Bulldogs (12-1) overcame a sluggish first half to defeat South Carolina State (6-9), 79-72, on Sunday afternoon at Stegeman Coliseum. With the win, Georgia matched its best season start in 94 years, dating back to 1930-31.

After scoring a season-low 24 points in the first half and trailing by 17 at halftime, the Bulldogs erupted for 55 points in the second half — their highest-scoring half this season — to secure their seventh consecutive victory.

“My goodness, as we talked about this morning, this team is really physical,” Georgia head coach Mike White said. “They play really hard. Our culture came through; it did.”

Graduate guard Tyrin Lawrence and junior forward RJ Godfrey led Georgia with 14 points each. Graduate guard Dakota Leffew and freshman forward Asa Newell added 12 points apiece, while sophomore guards Silas Demary Jr. and De’Shayne Montgomery chipped in 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Montgomery also tallied four steals, a season-high, coming just one shy of his career best.

White credited the Stegeman Coliseum crowd for providing a second-half spark. “Our guys were fired up to tip it up and play in front of a big crowd – I want to say our biggest crowd this year,” White said. “The crowd was a big factor there throughout the second half.”

Georgia’s defense clamped down in the final 20 minutes, holding South Carolina State at bay and turning stops into transition opportunities. The win extended Georgia’s home winning streak to 11 games and their non-conference home dominance to 27 games under White.