By Wesley Webb
ATHENS, Ga. – The defending national champions and No. 14-ranked Florida Gators beat the Georgia Bulldogs 86-66 in Stegeman Coliseum on Wednesday night. This loss drops the Bulldogs under .500 in conference play. This win gives Florida its longest road conference winning streak in 12 seasons.
The Gators shot an impressive 51% from the field, going 10-26 behind the arc. Xaivien Lee led Todd Golden’s Gators in scoring and assists, going 18 and seven. A monumental night on the boards for Florida center and No. 4 rebounder in the nation, Reuben Chinyelu, he finished with 20 of 42 Gator rebounds. A quiet performance for Top 20 Late Midseason Wooden Award Watchlist Thomas Haugh he had 11 points and five assists on 2-8 shooting.
Star transfer guard Jeremiah Wilkinson, who leads the Bulldogs in scoring, was out with shoulder soreness after an 18-point performance in a win over LSU on Saturday. The Georgia offense struggled all night, despite being the second-hottest offense in the nation, allowing Florida to build a comfortable lead early and maintain it throughout the game.
Blue Cain had a 17-point and 11-rebound double-double, while Kanon Catchings and Somto Cyril had 11 and 10, respectively. Marcus “Smurf” Millender came off the bench with 15 points in 34 minutes. Two starters for the Dogs, Dylan James and Jordan Ross, did not score all night.
Florida started the game 10-0 in the first three minutes, including a thunderous blocked dunk attempt from Cain. The Bulldogs have started behind by double digits in the past three games. Catchings opened up the offense with 14:26 to go with a corner three.
Georgia began clawing its way back, including a Cain dunk over 6’11” forward Alex Condon that erupted the crowd to bring the Dogs within six.
The Gators took advantage of another Georgia scoring drought, scoring eight unanswered points in four minutes, extending the lead to 29-12 with 6:24 to go in the first half. Somto Cyril dunked over three opponents to take the lid off and give Georgia some life.
Despite having two points and zero assists, Florida center and No. 4 rebounder in the nation, Reuben Chinyelu, made his presence known with 12 of 25 Gator rebounds in the first half.
Florida built itself a comfortable 16-point lead heading into halftime on 48% shooting, going 6-14 behind the arc. Lee had 13 points, three assists and two steals at halftime.
Cyril opened up the second half with a two-handed slam, sparking a rally from the Bulldogs. A Marcus Millender assist to Cain brought Georgia within 11, followed by a pair of free throws from Cain on a fouled dunk attempt. Back-to-back threes from Haugh and Urban Klavzar shut down the Bulldogs’ comeback.
The two teams traded blows in the middle of the second half, but it was not enough to cut into the Gator lead. The Dogs got as close as 11 points, but could not finish the job.
Georgia will travel to Oklahoma (12-12, 2-9 SEC) to face the Sooners on Saturday. Tip-off is 3:30 p.m. EST in Lloyd Noble Center. Florida takes on No. 25 Kentucky at home at 3 p.m. EST.
Main Photo: Embed from Getty Images
Leave a Reply