Looking to continue their dominance over visiting rival Georgia Tech, the Georgia Bulldogs will attempt to beat the Yellow Jackets for the sixth straight time on Friday in Athens, Ga.
“Since I’ve been here that’s all I’ve been hearing about,” said Georgia’s Aaron Cook, a transfer from Gonzaga. “When I saw that game on the schedule everybody’s been saying, ‘Hey we have to win this game.’ I know how important it is to these Georgia fans to get that win on Friday, so we’re going to come out and give it our all and do everything we can to make that happen.”
The Bulldogs (2-1) rebounded from a 73-68 loss at Cincinnati last Saturday with a 76-60 win over visiting South Carolina State on Tuesday.
Cook had 22 points and seven assists, Kario Oquendo had 17 points and four steals and Braelen Bridges added 15 points and a team-high eight rebounds in the win.
Georgia shot 28-of-61 (45.9 percent) from the floor, including 7-of-22 (31.8 percent) from 3-point range, and led by as many as 19 points in the second half. Georgia converted South Carolina State’s 18 turnovers into 22 points.
Though the teams didn’t meet last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bulldogs have won the past five meetings by an average of 13.4 points.
Georgia Tech (2-1) rebounded from a season-opening loss at home to Miami of Ohio with a 77-52 win over Stetson and a 75-66 victory over Lamar on Monday.
Dallan Coleman came off the bench to score 19 points on 5-of-7 shooting from 3-point range against Lamar.
Georgia Tech never trailed against the Cardinals, but the Yellow Jackets saw their 17-point halftime lead cut to 58-54 with 6:05 left before securing the win.
Jordan Usher posted 15 points and eight rebounds, while Michael Devoe added 11 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the Yellow Jackets, who had their best shooting performance of the young season. Georgia Tech shot a sizzling 12-for-25 (48 percent) on 3-point attempts.
While Georgia Tech outrebounded Lamar 42-32, the Yellow Jackets struggled from the free-throw line, going just 7-for-13.
“We just need to keep getting better and we could have some peaks and valleys along the way,” Georgia Tech coach Josh Pastner said. “But I think how we start doesn’t mean we’re going to win a bunch of games, but I think we’re going to really hit on cylinders as we get towards ACC play.”
–Field Level Media
