Georgia 93, Wofford 89, OT

<p>Having already served notice to the Southeastern Conference with an 85-78 win at Auburn Dec. 5, tiny Wofford was on the verge of a second victory Sunday afternoon, before self-destructing at the free-throw line.</p><p>The Terriers (7-3) missed seven of their final 10 free throws, allowing Georgia to escape with a 93-89 overtime win.</p><p>"The average fan will say that missed free throws lost us the game," said Wofford coach Mike Young. "But it was not the only reason why we lost. Missed free throws are a part of the game. It was our Achilles heel this afternoon."</p><p>Wofford missed four of six free throws in the last 44 seconds of regulation, allowing Georgia (4-3) to erase a six-point deficit, and then missed three of four in overtime.</p><p>"Wofford is the best team we have faced other than Georgia Tech," said Georgia coach Dennis Felton. "It's a good win. It was hard fought, and it was a little more difficult than I hoped it would be."</p><p>Georgia's Sundiata Gaines scored six of his 18 points in overtime to clinch the win, hitting a pair of free throws with 2.5 seconds remaining in overtime.</p><p>Before fouling out in overtime, Channing Toney led Georgia with 24 points, including a 3-pointer with 7.2 seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime. Levi Stukes scored 21 for the Bulldogs.</p><p>"Toney had a great game today," said Young. "I have seen him play often in high school. Tonight's game was his best outing this season."</p><p>"After the game I told the guys I'm an awfully lucky coach because in close games and overtime games my team usually wins," said Felton. "If it goes into overtime you can feel good about it, because we'll probably win."</p><p>Wofford was led by Howard Wilkerson with a season-high 28 points and nine rebounds. Taylor Berg came off the bench to score 13.</p><p>"Howard came up big for us tonight," said Young. "He has played like this against the likes of Auburn, Tennessee and Appalachian State. He is a gifted player, and we are lucky to have him in black and gold."</p><p>Leading 82-76 after a short Wilkerson jumper, the Terriers fouled Stukes on a 3-point attempt. He converted all three shots. Georgia then sent Eric Marshall to the line, a 79-percent shooter so far this year. He missed both shots, but Stukes traveled with the rebound as he fell to the floor, calling for a time out while he lay on his back.</p><p>Twice more Georgia fouled Adrien Borders, and both times he hit the second shot. After the first one, Gaines went coast-to-coast for a layup with 16.1 seconds to go, and after the second Borders make, Toney hit his 3-pointer. Borders managed to get off a running jumper before time expired, but it missed.</p><p>Gaines started Georgia out in front in the overtime with a putback of his own miss with 4:34 to go. Wilkerson answered with a 2-footer, but Steve Newman hit a short hook to put the Bulldogs up 88-86 with 3:46 to go.</p><p>A free throw by Wilkerson and a basket in the paint put the Terriers up 89-88 with 56.2 seconds to play. But Gaines drove for a layup and drew a foul. He missed the free throw, giving Wofford a chance to recapture the lead. The ball went to Wilkerson again. He missed but Georgia lost the rebound out of bounds. Georgia fouled Borders on the in-bounds play, and he missed both free throws.</p><p>Newman hit one free throw to widen the lead to 91-89 with 20.2 seconds remaining. Wofford's Justin Stephens got off an open 3-pointer from the corner, but missed, and Gaines rebounded.</p><p>A 50-percent free-throw shooter, Gaines hit both freebies with 2.5 seconds to go to seal the win.</p>

http://accesswdun.com/article/2004/12/154844