ATHENS, Ga. — With the 1983 Final Four team in attendance, the Georgia men’s basketball team broke a three-game losing streak with a 75-68 victory over Kentucky Saturday afternoon before a sell-out crowd at Stegeman Coliseum.
Junior Kario Oquendo led Georgia (15-10, 5-7 SEC) with 21 points, while fellow junior Justin Hill dropped 15 points and a team-high six assists. Fifth-year Braelen Bridges pitched in with 12 points, with junior Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe hauling in nine rebounds. The Bulldogs’ bench was dominant, outscoring the Wildcats’ reserves by a 21-2 margin. With the victory, Georgia notched consecutive home wins over Kentucky (16-9, 7-5 SEC) for the first time since the 1988-89 and 1989-90 seasons.
"A great win for our guys, I am really happy for our guys,” Georgia head coach Mike White said following the game. “Great environment, I am appreciative to our fans. It was a special day honoring the Final Four team that came back and I look forward to spending time with those members, support staff members and staff and seeing Coach (Hugh Durham). It was a cool day for Georgia Basketball. Our fans were great. Obviously, we played really well. This was a big win for us.”
Oquendo opened the game in style with a charging dunk, following it up with a crafty lay-in to score Georgia’s first four points of the afternoon. The Bulldogs continued to control the pace in the early minutes, building an eight-point lead by the 12-minute mark. Kentucky responded with sharp shooting from outside to tie the game at 13, but Georgia answered with a three from junior Jabri Abdur-Rahim to remain in front.
Coming out of the under-eight timeout, the Wildcats took the lead for the first time on a jumper from Jacob Toppin, yet the Bulldogs again fought back with six unanswered points. Georgia continued to push the tempo, helping Oquendo get to the foul line and extend the advantage. The Bulldogs’ 14-4 run capped off with a thunderous jam from Oquendo, giving his team a 36-27 lead with 2:43 to play in the half. Following a couple of Kentucky scores, Oquendo and Abdur-Rahim hit consecutive threes and set the halftime score at 42-32.
Kentucky closed the gap as the second half began, with eight straight points from Oscar Tshiebwe and a 3-pointer from Antonio Reeves tying the game at 47 with 13 minutes remaining. The Wildcats then pulled ahead with a triple from Jacob Toppin, taking a 52-48 lead into the under-12 timeout. Facing their largest deficit of the game, the Bulldogs rattled off seven straight points, including a three from junior Justin Hill to retake the lead.
Later in the period, Bridges asserted himself as he brought the lead to five with an old-fashioned 3-point play, followed up by a jumper to end a short Kentucky run. After forcing a shot-clock violation, Abdur-Rahim hit a corner three to make the score 64-58 with just under three minutes to play. On the following Wildcat possession, Hill made a timely steal as the Bulldogs began heading to the free throw line in the final minutes, clinching the victory in the process.
Georgia closes out its three-game homestand with a matchup against LSU on Tuesday, Feb. 14 at 7 p.m. at Stegeman Coliseum. The game will be broadcast live on SEC Network.
