Postgame radio interview with
Mark Byington
ATHENS, Ga. – Anthony Edwards scored 23 points, and Georgia shot 66 percent in the second half to come back and defeat Georgia Southern 73-64 in non-conference men's basketball action Monday night in Stegeman Coliseum.
Eagles of the Game
Ike Smith led Georgia Southern with a game-high 25 points and added six rebounds, and
Isaiah Crawley chipped in 16 points.
David-Lee Jones Jr. posted 10 points and three rebounds.
Key moments
Georgia Southern led by as many as seven points early in the second half, but after Crawley made a free throw that gave the Eagles (8-5) a one-point lead with 5:15 remaining, Edwards scored six points in a decisive 10-0 Georgia (8-3) run. The Eagles committed four turnovers and missed all three field goal attempts during the stretch, and Edwards' fastbreak dunk put Georgia up 69-60 with 1:48 to go.
The Eagles held Georgia scoreless in the last 5:07 of the first half, a total of nine straight possessions. The Bulldogs were 0 for 6 from the field and had three turnovers during the stretch, including a shot clock violation. Jones Jr. hit a pair of jumpers, and Crawley added a 3-point play as GS went into the locker room with a 32-29 lead. The Eagles would push the margin to 42-35 on a Smith triple 2:49 into the second stanza.
Georgia erased the deficit in 2:19 of game time as Toumani Camara and Sahvir Wheeler scored four points each to spark an 11-2 run, and the Bulldogs briefly took a 55-53 lead with 8:36 to play. Jones Jr. hit a step-back jumper to tie the score, and the game saw five lead changes over the next three minutes before the Bulldogs took control.
Key stats
It was the first meeting between the schools on the hardwood since 2001 and the first in Athens since 1997. Georgia outscored Southern 20-3 in fastbreak points. The Eagles held the Bulldogs to 39 percent shooting in the first half, including 3 of 13 from 3-point range.
Next up
Georgia Southern comes out of the holiday break with three Sun Belt games in five days on the road. GS starts the stretch at Coastal Carolina Jan. 2, before traveling to Appalachian State Jan. 4, and finishing the trip at Little Rock Jan. 6.
