Jonas Hayes leads Dogs to win

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Posted 11:41PM on Friday, December 5, 2003

ATHENS, Ga. - Jonas Hayes's shooting touch was better than his memory Friday night. Hayes hit eight of eight from the field and two of two from the line for 18 points to lead Georgia to a 77-59 victory over winless Florida A&M. Asked if he had ever had a perfect shooting game before, Hayes replied, "Not in my recent memory. I was thinking to myself when I got back to the lockerroom that I couldn't remember missing a shot. I guess that just shows the level of my concentration." Hayes has never had a game at Georgia where he hit all his field goals and all his free throws. Whether twin brother Jarvis Hayes ever did before bolting a year early for the NBA, Jonas could not remember that either. The Rattlers (0-5) played without their leading scorer, Terrence Woods, who was suspended for missing an early-morning practice and remained in Tallahassee, Fla. He was averaging 21.5 points a game and scored 31 against second-ranked Florida Tuesday night. Georgia coach Dennis Felton was not particularly pleased with the effort by Georgia (4-1). "I was concerned with the way we came out tonight," he said. "It was the first time all season we took a step back in terms of our development. We just weren't diligent in adhering to our principles. We were a team looking for the short-cut way to do it tonight." Rashad Wright scored 17 for Georgia (4-1), including 15 in the first half. Freshman Levi Stukes scored a career-high 16 before fouling out. Chris Daniels added 12 points and 12 rebounds. "I feel all the players have developed and progressed consistently," Felton said, "but Levi in particular has improved. He's been really coachable, listened really well and been inquisitive." In the absence of Woods, Demarcus Wilkins led A&M with 20 points, hitting just six of 16 shots. Moses White scored 10 in his return to Georgia. He was a part-time starter as a freshman at Georgia before transferring. The Bulldogs dominated the first three minutes of the game, taking a 9-2 lead, mostly on the strength of three baskets by Hayes. And Georgia finished the half with a 12-5 run over the last seven minutes, led by Wright's fast-break layup, two 3-pointers and two free throws, building a 33-25 lead at the break. In between, Florida A&M twice took the lead, the last time at 17-14 on Richard Russell's 3-pointer from the corner with 11:14 to go in the half. Georgia opened the second half with a 17-3 explosion, streaking to a 50-29 lead at the 14:58 mark on a layup by reserve Buzz Wehunt. The Rattlers never got closer than 15 points the remainder of the game. "We got a little careless at the start of the second half," said Florida A&M coach Mike Gillespie. "Their inside strength was definitely a factor tonight." Georgia shot 64 percent in the second half. The Bulldogs outrebounded the Rattlers 47-33.