ATHENS, Ga. – What do old cars and Georgia basketball have in common? They both started slow on Saturday, Jan. 31.
While a winter storm dumped snow across northeast Georgia and Stegeman Coliseum, the Bulldogs (16-6, 4-5 SEC) struggled to find their footing against the SEC-leading Texas A&M Aggies (17-4, 7-1), and found themselves in a 22-2 hole 4:22 minutes into the game, ultimately leading to a 92-77 defeat.
“Sometimes that happens where, you know, a really good team just gets the best of you early,” Georgia head coach Mike White said. “I can sit here and talk about all the things we didn't do really well; Texas A&M is good. They're good, and if they missed a couple of those (baskets) early and we made a couple of those layups and a couple of the open threes early; Instead of it being, 22-2 or something; It could have easily been 10 at that point, and maybe you don't have as big a hole to crawl out of.”
Eventually, Georgia’s engine began to turn over, as forward Dylan James scored his first of 13 points with a field goal in the paint. The basket ended a near-6-minute scoring drought for the Bulldogs.
James, a senior, then turned a defensive rebound into a layup 20 seconds later, kick-starting a 13-2 Georgia run.
“I try to do the same thing every game and come out with the same energy,” James, who recorded a career-high 13 rebounds against the Aggies, said post-game. “But I felt like this game was do or die, so I came out to give it all that I had, and tried to empty the tank.”
Texas A&M guard Ali Dibba broke the run with a three-pointer with 10:12 left in the half, before guard Josh Holloway capitalized on a Justin Bailey foul, making two consecutive free throws, bringing the score to 31-15.
However, Texas A&M’s early avalanche and connected defense began to weigh on Georgia. As the Bulldogs clawed back, their possessions increasingly tilted toward pressured shots, while the Aggies kept creating clean looks with ball movement.
“I think we know exactly what we need to do,” James said. “It’s execution and connection; knowing where each other are going to be, you know, like, literally being connected by a rope on the defensive end, (and) knowing where each other is going to be and moving as one instead of moving as five.”
Additionally, the Aggies were clinical from beyond the arc and the free-throw line. In the first half alone, Texas A&M made eight of 21 three-pointers and 11 of 12 free throws, allowing the Aggies to maintain their 15-point advantage. In contrast, the Bulldogs went 5-15 from three in the first half.
“We have to understand we've got to do it together,” White said. “We've got some talented individual players, (and) Texas A&M does, too. But they move it, and they turn it, and they cut, drive and kick it; and they got good looks–they got better shots than we got. We, especially when playing from behind, can't continue to try to hit grand slams in the SEC against these defenses. It's why we shot the percentages that we shot.”
Late in the half, the Georgia faithful helped jumpstart the Bulldogs’ offense, as back-to-back three-pointers from Marcus “Smurf” Milender pulled Georgia within one possession, 44-41, with 2:31 remaining.
Despite the blanket of snow and slick roads, the turnout at Stegeman Coliseum was respectable; the student section, which received Asa Newell jerseys, was nearly filled by tip-off, and grew increasingly louder as Georgia fought their way back into the game.
“It was a really surprising atmosphere,” White said. “I did not anticipate that many people. I didn't anticipate it being that loud.”
But just as momentum seemed to have shifted, a three-pointer from Texas A&M guard Rylan Griffen silenced the crowd and reestablished the Aggies’ lead. Guard Marcus Hill made a layup off a turnover from Kareem Stagg with 1:08 left, giving A&M a 51-41 lead at the half.
Exiting the break, the teams kept pace and traded blows for the first nine minutes, with the Aggies maintaining a 7-9 point lead. Georgia guard Jeremiah Wilkinson cut the lead to five after guard Jordan Ross intercepted an Aggie pass.
Two possessions later, Hill missed a jumpshot, giving Georgia the chance to cut the lead to three, which Wilkinson did with a driving layup. The Bulldogs continued to eat into Texas A&M’s lead, and a three-point play from James, who was fouled on the driving layup, narrowed the score to 69-67.
The Aggies responded with another three-pointer and a strong defensive rebound from forward Rashaun Agee after Blue Cain missed a layup. Agee’s boardwork led to an Ali Dribba three-pointer, re-extending Texas A&M’s advantage to 75-67, and snuffing out Georgia’s momentum.
Overall, the Bulldogs were out-rebounded for the third game in a row. The Aggies, propelled by Agee’s 15, recorded 46 rebounds, compared to Georgia’s 39.
“I mean, we got our rebounded by a major amount,” James said. “That's been a lingering problem for us that we have to deal with. And I mean, there's that (rebounds), there's a connection factor, you know, and there's an execution factor. There are a lot of things that we got to go back and reflect on and look at, but I think we have to come together as a collective, as a team, and reevaluate.”
Alongside James’ double-double, forward Kanon Catchings and guard Blue Cain both scored 14 points, while guard Jeremiah Wilkinson took home top honors with 17 points and a career-high two blocks. The loss drops Georgia to 4-5 in the SEC, and is the Bulldog’s third consecutive loss.
However, White isn’t worried–he expects the team to respond in upcoming practices, and with a week before Georgia’s Feb. 7 road matchup against LSU, the team has plenty of time to regroup.
“They'll (the team) work at it, they will,” White said. “How bought in we’ll be? We'll see, but that will be a determining factor, and how this team finishes, and to what level this team progresses, but it's a resilient program; We're going to jump right back at it. We've got all kinds of opportunities right in front of us. This program lost four games two different times, last year. We're gonna keep at it, and we’ve got enough talent to bounce back.”
