Georgia Bulldogs finish strong, knock Off No. 17 Arkansas

Photos by Kameron Tyalor, for the Albany Herald

ATHENS — For a program that has made a habit of playing fast and scoring in bunches, Georgia saved its best burst for when it mattered most.

With the game tied and Stegeman Coliseum on edge, the No. 21 Bulldogs ripped off a decisive 10-0 run over a two-minute stretch late in the second half and pulled away for a 90-76 victory over No. 17 Arkansas on Saturday afternoon in front of a raucous, sold-out crowd.

Sophomore guard Jeremiah Wilkinson and junior Blue Cain co-led all scorers with 20 and 18 points respectively, and the Bulldogs (who continue to average more than 96 points per game) once again turned tempo into separation. Wilkinson finished with 20 points, Cain had 18, Kanon Catchings added 15 and Jake Wilkins chipped in 11 — his best scoring performance in conference play.

“We talked after last game just how are we going to respond to a tough game, tough loss that we know we should’ve won,” Wilkinson said. “We’ve had a tough two days of practice, trying to lock in on a lot of things we did wrong. I feel like we really got after it in practice, and it showed on the court today.”

The defining moment came with 5:52 left and the score knotted at 70. Cain and Wilkinson combined for all 10 points in the game-turning run, pushing Georgia in front for good and igniting a building that had been waiting for a finishing kick.

“A couple stops. A couple loose balls in the paint,” Georgia coach Mike White said. “So much different than the way we’ve played in the last three years, as opposed to, ‘Let’s really call something here.’ We’re effective in huge possessions, playing in tempo, playing with pace and space… If you can see the rim, let’s get to the rim.”

Georgia had set the tone early with an 11-0 run to open the game, but Arkansas — behind Darius Acuff Jr., who matched Wilkinson with 20 points — clawed back and eventually erased the deficit. The Razorbacks’ rally set up a tense final six minutes before Georgia’s late surge put it away.

“What he expressed to me a couple days ago was, ‘I just got to get lost in the game, I got to play with joy,’” White said of Cain. “Today, he started the game with just making winning plays. You go back and watch the first defensive possession, and he was phenomenal.”

Cain said the message from his coach and teammates was simple after a recent struggle.

“He just told me he just believed in me,” Cain said. “Obviously, I had a tough night. Been struggling a little bit, but he’s told me he believed in me, the team believed in me. … Everybody was just telling me they believed in me.”

Georgia’s defense and activity were just as important as its scoring. The Bulldogs recorded 11 blocks, 17 steals and 15 assists, winning the hustle categories across the board. Sophomore center Somto Cyril anchored the paint with a career-best seven blocks, giving him 52 on the season — already more than his total from last year — and moving him into the program’s top 15 all-time in blocked shots.

Arkansas coach John Calipari lamented his team’s slow start but credited Georgia for its energy and execution.

“Credit to Georgia. I’m just disappointed in the start of the game,” Calipari said. “Then you start down seven, eight, nine nothing. … What I love is that we fought, tied the game. I thought we were going to win the game, and then we made errors.”

The win improved Georgia to 12-7 against Arkansas in games played in Athens, though the Razorbacks still lead the all-time series 28-18.

Next up, the Bulldogs hit the road to face Missouri on Tuesday, Jan. 20, in a 9 p.m. tip on the SEC Network — carrying with them both momentum and a reminder of how dangerous they can be when the game turns frantic.