Friday March 29th, 2024 8:05AM

Dogs run past LSU with season-best offensive show

By AccessWDUN

ATHENS — Fueled by a season-best offensive performance, the Georgia Bulldogs (16-12, 7-9) men’s basketball team powered past the LSU Tigers 93-82 in Stegeman Coliseum on Saturday afternoon.

Senior forward Yante Maten led the Bulldogs' season-high point production with 27 points and 11 rebounds, marking his 12th double-double of the season, as well as 15th 20-point game. Maten has scored in double digits in all but one game this season, and climbed into the No. 2 spot among all-time Georgia scorers. On defense, the senior tied his career-high in blocks with six.

With 21 points, freshman forward Rayshaun Hammonds notched a new career-high with his 11th double-digit game of the season. Redshirt senior guard Juwan Parker had his 14th double-digit game of the season, and fifth of the last six games, with 15, and junior guard Derek Ogbeide delivered his third-straight double-double with 10 rebounds and 10 points.

“Obviously a good win for our team today. LSU is really a hard matchup. Tremont Waters is one of the leading candidates for freshman of the year. He makes everybody better, he scores the ball,” said head coach Mark Fox. "We were a little concerned about that matchup and he got 25 tonight, so I wasn’t really pleased with the job we did there. We did a lot of other things well. We rebounded well. We did not make free throws tonight and we were not good at the line. We found a way to win and we finished a lot of plays. These wins are hard to get so we feel good about the victory.”

LSU posted the first points of the game with a Daryl Edwards 3-pointer, only to be immediately answered by a Parker three. The Tigers charged ahead again for the lead with a three and a pair of free throws, but a Maten tipin tied the score at 7 and launched Georgia on a nine point run, as freshman guard Teshaun Hightower tossed the ball in from the top of the key to give Georgia its first lead 9-7. 

The Bulldogs maintained the margin over LSU, holding the Tigers scoreless for two and a half minutes. At the 9:58 mark, a layup by Ogbeide brought Georgia the six-point advantage, but the Tigers fought back from the deficit to tie the game at 28 with 5:44 remaining in the half. Freshman forward Nicolas Claxton answered seconds later to bring the Bulldogs to 30 and propel Georgia on a 17-6 run to close the half. A three by junior guard William Turtle Jackson II followed by an Ogbeide tipin at the buzzer gave Georgia its first double-digit lead, 11, of the game, and largest point-total in a half on the season, 45-34.

In the second half, Ogbeide had the first points en route to 11 unanswered featuring two Parker free throws, a Maten jumper and a Hightower three. Lastly, Parker hit a 3-pointer to cap the run and widen the margin to 22 points, the largest of the game, marking the score 56-34. 

The Bulldogs held the Tigers under 50 points until the 11:19 mark. A jam from Maten followed by a Hammonds tip-in brought the crowd to its feet, marking a 73-54 score. The Tigers slowly encroached on the Bulldogs lead making it as narrow as nine points, but a free throw by Hammonds marked entrance to the 90s, a season first for Georgia, and a pair of free throws from Maten secured the Georgia win 93-82 over LSU.

Georgia totaled a season-best 19 assists, led by a career-high nine from Jackson. The Bulldogs also won the rebounding battle for the 10th time in conference play, including the last four games. The 15-point rebound margin comes in as the second-best for Georgia during SEC contests.

Jackson posted a new career-high of assists with eight and Hightower tied his career-high points with eight. 

The Bulldogs hit the court in the home finale  against Texas A&M on Wednesday, February 28, at 8:30 p.m. in Stegeman Coliseum. 

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