Sports

Play by play from here on out:

Trey Thompkins missed a ten foot jumper. Gator ball with 56.4 left in the game. Stegman crowd urging Georgia to play defense. Gators miss a shot and Georgia gets a rebound. Coach Fox calls a timeout with 39.7 seconds left in the game. Georgia up by two. There is a twelve second difference in game and shot clock.

Florida has the ball and is down by 2 points with 13.3 seconds left. Shot clock is turned off. Dan Werner was left WIDE open for a three and Albert Jackson ran up and blocked it. .1 seconds were left on the clock. Florida inbounded and missed the shot

GEORGIA WINS 78-76 OVER FLORDIA!

Check back with WUOG: Postgame wrap-up coming up!!

And time for the homestretch in this basketball game. Mark Fox has already lost the jacket. Can’t say that I blame him. Georgia now only has a 2 point lead. 71-69 Dawgs.  Georgia needs points in the worst way possible. Right on cue, Dustin Ware hits a 3, crowd makes noise, and Florida turns the ball over. But, Georgia turned it over right back. Florida’s Kenny Boynton has gotten their last five points.

3:33 left in the game. Georgia is up 74-71. Florida has possession and Krypton is playing for the Dawgs.

There is a larger Orange and Blue contingent behind me then I thought. I’ve only had to hear them scream “Go Gators this whole game”  …I feel like i need to wash out my ears.

TREY THOMPKINS WITH A BIG BUCKET…followed by a Kenny Boynton three pointer. This is a two point game ladies and gentleman.

Jeremy Price just got another goal in the paint. Florida takes a thirty second timeout with 2:34 left. It is 78-74 Georgia winning right now.

2 point game once again. Kenny Boynton hit a layup. Georgia up by 2 with 1:31 left.

GEORGIA- 78  FLORIDA- 76 WITH 1:31 REMAINING IN THE GAME

Georgia is trying pass the ball around until they find easy buckets, as they did in the first half. 10 fouls have been called in the first 5 minutes of this second half.  SEC Refs are definitely catching some heat in Stegman right now. Jeremy Price was just the recipient of two consecutive feeds and got two easy buckets in the paint. That gives Price 11 points on the day.  Georgia has calmed down…and then energized right up! Ebuka Anyaorah just his a 3 point shot to get this crowd on its feet.

60-45 with 14:23 left.

This Georgia bench play has impressed me all day long. Ebuka, Price, Mayfield, and Vincent Williams have all been great.

Billy Donavan burned another timeout trying to get in Gators to play with more passion in this game. It would be even more of a blowout, but the Gators have hit their shots from around the arc on a consistent basis. They have no presence in the post.

Georgia was trying to conserve their large lead (15 points) and allow Trey Thompkins and Travis Leslie to both rest. But Florida’s Erving Walker made a three point basket. Coach Fox promptly sent Trey Thompkins to the scorers table to wait to enter the game. Dustin Ware also drained one from three point land for the Dawgs. Georgia up 63- 50 with 11:59 left.

Shout out to Jeremy Price. He has gotten some big offensive rebounds and scored the easy buckets when presented the opportunity.  Price has 11 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and a block. I’ve never heard of a utility player in basketball, but that is what Price reminds me of right now.  Don’t forget about Ebuka Anyaorah, he has 9 points off the bench today as well.

ALBERT JACKSON SIGHTING! He just got a dunk coming from an beautiful feed from Ricky McPhee.

Georgia keeps allowing Chandler Parsons to be uncovered around the three point line. He hit a dagger to reduced the Georgia lead to 9 points. Parsons has 27 points..and counting.

Is it just me, or is this a situation that Georgia Basketball has found themselves in all season long. They’ve gotten big leads in the first half and then allowed those leads to relinquish in the second half. Coach Fox has to be sick to his stomach to see this lead falling away. Maybe they should call on Rocky to pump this team up now. Wow, totally called that. There goes Rocky running up the Stegman stairs!

GEORGIA-69  FLORIDA-62 WITH 7:06 LEFT

Florida gets the ball to start the second half. They commit a travel and give the ball right back to Georgia.

Something to watch. Gator Vernon Macklin already has three fouls and the second half has just begun. Florida knows that Georgia is prone to early second half turnovers. So the Gators have come out playing more aggressively and they have implemented more pressure defense.

Coach Fox started the second half with all of his starters: Thompkins, Ware, McPhee, Leslie, and Barnes. It seems like Mark Fox is trying to keep a fresh body in the paint becauase Jeremy Price has aready entered the game for Chris Barnes. The Stegman crowd is singing with boo-birds at the referees. Trey Thompkins has been called for 2 questionable fouls within the last two minutes.

Florida is edging their way back into this game in large part due to Georgia foul calls. Travis Leslie is up to 3 fouls

GEORGIA 52  FLORIDA 43    WITH 15:41 LEFT IN THE GAME

HALFTIME SCORE: GEORGIA- 45 FLORIDA-30

I am having to contain my excitement. Georgia is playing EXTREMELY well. They are taking care of the ball and spreading it around to many players. Trey Thompkins hit a few huge buckets late in the first half.  However, as I said before this game started, this contest will be decided in the second half. Georgia MUST continue to hang on to the basketball. 2nd half turnovers have killed this team all year long. I would love to know what Coach Mark Fox is telling his team right now.

By the way, I am watching the Dance Dawgs at halftime. I had a friend (a former high school cheerleader) tell me one time that the Dance Dawgs didn’t have much talent. I disagree with that wholeheartedly. However, our definition of “talent” may differ. I just know that I enjoy watching the Dance Dawgs perform.

I do want to give a shout out to Georgia Fans. There is plenty of energy in Stegman Coliseum. Most of the seats are filled and I don’t see much of that dreadful blue.

1st half MVP for the Dawgs: Trey Thompkins. He has 14 points and 3 rebounds.

Suprise of the first half: Demario Mayfield. The Freshman out of Carnesville, Ga. has five points and an assist.

Stat of the half: Georgia is winning the rebound battle 20-12. The second half will be underway in two minutes.

SCORE AT THE HALF: GEORGIA-45     FLORIDA-30

The minute it looks like Georgia is dominating a game, they have consecutive turnovers. It is hard to be a Billy Donavan coached team if you give them points. I wish I could give you more specific player statistics, but the scoreboard inside of Stegman Coliseum is not functioning properly.

Now it is Georgia who seems to be a little rattled. Ricky McPhee just got called for a Technical Foul. From my vantage point, he was just arguing with a referee.

Leading scorers to this point: Georgia’s Travis Leslie has 9 points and Florida’s Chandler Parsons has 13 points.

Georgia is going deep into their bench with Demario Mayfield, Drazen Zlovaric, Vincent Williams, Ebuka Anyaorah,  and Albert Jackson have all seen playing time for the Dawgs.

Trey Thompkins shows why he should be an all-SEC first teamer. He can work inside or he can drain a three pointer as he just did. The superb bench play continues for the Dawgs. Demario Mayfield his a running floater for the Dawgs. Waning seconds of this first half.

GEORGIA- 37  FLORDIA-30 WITH 1:29 LEFT IN THE FIRST HALF

The Gators come out of an official timeout trying to get a full court press on the Dawgs and trying to trap the in bound pass. Travis Leslie came extremely close to turning the ball over under his own basket. But, he found Trey Thompkins at half court who sent a quick pass to Ricky McPhee, who then threw a laser to Jeremy Price for a flamboyant dunk.

Georgia is doing a great job of feeding the ball in the paint. In Chris Paul like style, Dustin Ware is dribbling deep into the lane and dishing the rock to Jeremy Price and Trey Thompkins. However, it is a tie game (17 all) with 11 minutes to go because Florida’s perimeter shooting is keeping them right in the game with Georgia.  I’d say that this game is very even at this point. Both teams have just arrived at their 17 points in very different ways.

The points are coming from everywhere for the Dawgs in this ballgame. Dustin Ware got a steal and ran it all the way back down the court for a layup. Next possession, Ebuka Anyaorah drained a three-point shot that prompted Billy Donavan to call a time out for his Gators. The big difference in last few minutes has been Georgia’s ability to rebound.  Florida may be losing it’s composure. They have had a good many turnovers along with a technical foul.

GEORGIA 27  FLORIDA 17  WITH 7:55 LEFT IN THE FIRST HALF.

Florida wins the opening toss. The Gators are going to work right in front of the Georgia student section. This really is a battle of good and evil. The Dawgs are wearing all white and the Gators are wearing all black.

Georgia got the opening bucket on a layup front Travis Leslie.

The Dawgs are playing a slower, methodical game. They are trying to work the ball to Trey Thompkins or open lanes through which Travis Leslie can drive. Florida has come out looking to play more of a quicker catch and shoot game. Chandler Parsons has buried three-pointers twice in the first four minutes of this game. The Gators continue to try to make the Dawgs stop their perimeter play.

The Dawgs points to this point have come from a Trey Thompkins seven foot jumper, two Travis Leslie layups, and a Ricky McPhee three pointer.

GEORGIA-9   FLORIDA-9   15:22 REMAINING IN THE FIRST HALF

STARTING LINEUPS

GEORGIA BULLDOGS:

PG: Dustin Ware- Sophomore- Powder Springs, GA

SG: Ricky McPhee- Senior- Lawrenceville, GA

SF: Travis Leslie- Sophomore- Decatur, GA

F: Trey Thompkins- Sophomore- Lithonia,Ga

F: Chris Barnes- Junior- College Park, GA

FLORIDA GATORS:

PG: Erving Walker- Sophomore- Brooklyn, N.Y.

SG: Kenny Boynton- Freshman- Pompano Beach, Fla

SF: Chandler Parsons- Junior- Casselberry, Fla

PF: Alex Tyus- Junior- St. Louis, Mo

C: Vernon Macklin-  Junior- Portsmouth, VA

My next update will be my first in regulation play.

GREETINGS FROM STEGMAN

Good Afternoon Bulldawg faithful! I am Dayne Young and I will be live blogging today’s basketball game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Florida Gators. The two strongest human emotions are love and hate. We all get to experience both for forty minutes today because i know I love the Dawgs and hate the Gators.

I am expecting this to be a dandy of a game. We are in a world of unpredictable SEC basketball.  Georgia took a ranked Vanderbilt team to overtime on Thursday. Tennessee has already beaten 2nd ranked Kentucky today.  Only time will tell if the trend of SEC basketball upsets will continue.

Georgia played Florida in Gainsville  January 27th. The Gators won 87-71. In that game, Florida forward Alex Tyus put 23 points on the Dawgs. Florida’s balanced attack will be difficult to stop, especially the second time around.

GEORGIA’S KEY TO THE GAME:

Georgia needs to continue to do what they have done most of the year: get off to a quick start. The Dawgs are really good about getting points early and often. However, this game, like most SEC basketball games, will be decided in the Second Half. If Georgia can limit their turnovers in the second half and keep the beast that is Trey Thompkins out of foul trouble, you will see an exciting second half.

Stegman is filling up and last minute shoot around is ending. Rocky and crew have taken their places on the front row of the student section.  Tip-off is in twenty minutes. Starting lineups and updated live blog is forthcoming.