ATHENS — The Georgia Bulldogs (3-0) out-hustled the Texas A&M Corpus Christi Islanders 68-65 on Sunday afternoon in Stegeman Coliseum.
Senior forward Yante Maten posted his third consecutive double-double of the season with 19 points and 13 rebounds in addition to shooting 8-for-8 at the free throw line. Freshman forward Rayshaun Hammonds also followed with 15 points, marking his third-straight double-digit scoring output of the season.
“What I like about our team is that we have a lot of guys who are learning new roles,” said Georgia head coach Mark Fox. "I think that we got a fairly deep team. Hopefully, we can cut out some mistakes.”
Georgia held the Islanders to 16 points, the lowest of a Georgia opponent in the first half this season. The Bulldogs opened the game with a run of 11 unanswered points during the first 4:52 minutes. Three buckets from junior forward Derek Ogbeide, sophomore guard William Turtle Jackson II, and Maten, in the first five minutes of the game gave Georgia the lead over Texas A&M Corpus Christi (1-3) which it maintained for the remainder of the half.
Back to back threes from Hammonds and sophomore guard Tyree Crump continued the Bulldogs momentum, and Georgia posted an 11-5 run to close out the half leading 30-16.
Texas A&M CC chipped away at Georgia’s lead enabling them to tie the Bulldogs, 36-36, at the 14 minute mark. Prompted by freshman forward Nicolas Claxton’s tip-in and free throw, Georgia was able to regain the lead. From there, the Bulldogs marked a nine to three run over Texas A&M CC.
The Islanders fought back to tie the score two more times in the last 10 minutes. At the 1:54 mark Ogbeide and Hammonds each posted a block on defense to put the ball back in Georgia’s possession, enabling Hammonds to get to the free throw line for the 60-55 lead.
Georgia also withstood the Texas A&M CC battle on the free throw line with 12 of the last 21 points coming from behind the line. In the last minute of the game, sophomore guard Jordan Harris tipped in the ball to bring the score to 64-60. With seven seconds left Crump banked two free throws to secure the game for the Bulldogs, 68-65.
Two career highs were posted, one block by Hammonds and three assists by Crump. Jackson, Ogbeide, and junior forward Edwards tied their career highs of four assists, two steals, and two blocks respectively.
Head coach Mark Fox and his wife Cindy are donating $1 to two local charities for every fan that attends the Bulldogs’ three November home games. The donation will be split equally between the Boys and Girls Club of Athens and the Clarke County Mentor Program. Last Friday, Georgia drew 7,387 fans for the season opener against Bryant, the Bulldogs’ largest crowd for a home opener since 2007. A total of 5,369 fans attended Tuesday’s game against USC Upstate, meaning the Foxes have already pledged to give $6378 to both organizations, prior to the crowd from today’s game being added.
Georgia hits the road and heads to Fullerton, California, for the Wooden Legacy Tournament Nov. 23-26 against Cal State Fullerton, San Diego State, and Sacramento.
