Catchings scores 32 as Georgia downs No. 16 Alabama

ATHENS — On a night when the stakes were high and the building was packed, Kanon Catchings delivered the kind of performance that made Stegeman Coliseum roar.

The sophomore forward poured in a career-high 32 points Tuesday night to lead Georgia past No. 16 Alabama 98-88 before a sellout crowd, giving the Bulldogs one of their biggest wins of the season.

Georgia (21-9, 9-8 SEC) controlled the paint, dominated the glass and played with an urgency that matched the importance of the moment.

Head coach Mike White said Catchings’ confidence was obvious from the opening tip.

“Just a high level of confidence,” White said. “His body language exuded confidence. He wasn’t second-guessing himself. He didn’t have any of those delayed decisions. Our shot selection was better — so much better than it was a couple months ago. We’re passing it well, and we’re spacing it well. Guys are executing what we do as opposed to ‘let me go get one up.’ Getting better this time of year is fun to watch.”

Catchings set career highs in field goals, attempts and three-pointers as Georgia earned its third straight 20-win season. The Bulldogs have now won two of their last three home meetings with Alabama.

Blue Cain added 16 points for Georgia, while Smurf Millender scored 12 and Kareem Stagg chipped in 10. Justin Abson contributed seven points on a perfect 3-for-3 shooting night.

The Bulldogs also won the battle inside, outscoring Alabama 40-18 in the paint, while dominating the glass 40-30 and holding a 25-9 advantage in second-chance points.

White said Georgia’s physical play inside was a key factor.

“Our paint discipline, defensively, was significantly better than it’s been in the last four or five,” White said. “Being able to shot fake and create angles in isolation situations at a number of different spots — we were good there. We were pretty disciplined at the rim. We did enough.”

The game featured eight lead changes early, but Georgia seized control in the second half and never trailed again.

Alabama (22-8, 12-5) trimmed the lead to five with 9:38 remaining, just before a 20-minute delay caused by a shot clock malfunction halted play.

When the game resumed, Georgia responded.

The Bulldogs put together a 9-5 run over the next four and a half minutes, stretching the lead to nine and maintaining control down the stretch for the 10-point victory.

Millender said White’s message during the delay helped keep the Bulldogs focused.

“Coach White was just telling us to stay locked in, giving us the game plan and how to handle our business,” Millender said. “He just gave us juice on the defensive side. The crowd played a big part, as well.”

The win carried extra meaning for Catchings, who remembered Alabama eliminating Georgia in last year’s NCAA Tournament.

“I got in there late because I had to do media, but everybody was just excited,” Catchings said of the postgame locker room. “Alabama is a great team. They got me out last year in the Sweet Sixteen, so I feel like that’s a great team. They’ve got great players, and they’ve beat great teams, and we beat them.”

Alabama head coach Nate Oats credited Georgia’s effort and physical play.

“I’ve got to give Georgia a lot of credit,” Oats said. “They needed the win. It looked like they needed it. They came out and played harder than us, turned us over, had 21 points off turnovers, destroyed us on second-chance points. When you lose that by 22 points, it’s going to be really hard to win the game.”

The victory provides momentum for Georgia as the regular season winds down.

“This win really gives us momentum,” Millender said. “We’ve got another one Saturday against Mississippi State to finish out the regular season, but going into Sunday this is huge for our resume.”

Georgia will close the regular season Saturday on the road at Mississippi State, with tipoff scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET in Starkville before the Bulldogs await their seeding in next week’s SEC Tournament in Nashville.