Spring Break
Bulldogs fall to South Carolina, head to SEC Tourney
FLETCHER PAGE
Issue date: 3/9/09 Section: Sports
Seniors Terrance Woodbury and Corey Butler went out on a sour note Saturday, as the the Georgia men's basketball team fell flat to South Carolina 68-51 in the Bulldogs' final home game of the year.
Georgia plays Mississippi State Thursday at 3:15 p.m. in the first round of the SEC Tournament.
Georgia's statistics tell the story. 19 Bulldog (12-19, 3-13 SEC) turnovers, combined with a painful 27 percent shooting mark, left little chance for victory.
"We couldn't make any shots," said Georgia interim coach Pete Herrmann. "We couldn't make any shots. I kept encouraging them, once we got it down to seven or eight, but we couldn't do it."
Georgia was 18 for 66 on the game, including 4-22 from the 3-point line.
Leading 29-23 at halftime, South Carolina came out scoring in the second period, pushing its lead to 38-28.
Georgia answered, as freshman forward Trey Thompkins and Woodbury knocked down jumpers to pull within six, but this run, along with subsequent mounted rallies, would end quickly.
The Gamecocks reeled off an 8-0 run, capped by a Zam Fredrick 3-pointer to go up 48-32, effectively ending the game with 10:47 left.
The remaining minutes appeared as the pilot for the Devan Downey show, as the Gamecock guard dominated the pace of the game, dribbling through, passing around and shooting over the Bulldog defense.
"I thought Devan Downey controlled the game, obviously," said Herrmann. "He took time off the clock, he managed the game. He got the ball in deep with the option for him to shoot and score or to get the ball out to guys like [Evaldas] Baniulis, who can really shoot it."
Downey finished with a game-high 23 points, complimented by eight assists, four rebounds and two steals.
Georgia's first half was slowed by freshman point guard Dustin Ware's foul trouble. Ware picked up his third foul with 6:56 left in the opening period, which limited his playing time to only 18 minutes for the game.
Georgia plays Mississippi State Thursday at 3:15 p.m. in the first round of the SEC Tournament.
Georgia's statistics tell the story. 19 Bulldog (12-19, 3-13 SEC) turnovers, combined with a painful 27 percent shooting mark, left little chance for victory.
"We couldn't make any shots," said Georgia interim coach Pete Herrmann. "We couldn't make any shots. I kept encouraging them, once we got it down to seven or eight, but we couldn't do it."
Georgia was 18 for 66 on the game, including 4-22 from the 3-point line.
Leading 29-23 at halftime, South Carolina came out scoring in the second period, pushing its lead to 38-28.
Georgia answered, as freshman forward Trey Thompkins and Woodbury knocked down jumpers to pull within six, but this run, along with subsequent mounted rallies, would end quickly.
The Gamecocks reeled off an 8-0 run, capped by a Zam Fredrick 3-pointer to go up 48-32, effectively ending the game with 10:47 left.
The remaining minutes appeared as the pilot for the Devan Downey show, as the Gamecock guard dominated the pace of the game, dribbling through, passing around and shooting over the Bulldog defense.
"I thought Devan Downey controlled the game, obviously," said Herrmann. "He took time off the clock, he managed the game. He got the ball in deep with the option for him to shoot and score or to get the ball out to guys like [Evaldas] Baniulis, who can really shoot it."
Downey finished with a game-high 23 points, complimented by eight assists, four rebounds and two steals.
Georgia's first half was slowed by freshman point guard Dustin Ware's foul trouble. Ware picked up his third foul with 6:56 left in the opening period, which limited his playing time to only 18 minutes for the game.
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