University of Georgia Athletics
Dog Notes: UGA Survives The Cold
November 25, 2015 | Men's Basketball
By John Frierson
UGAAA Staff Writer
There's probably some kind of "Game of Thrones" reference to be made, something about how winter is coming and the Georgia men's basketball team has to be ready for it.
Bulldogs coach Mark Fox went a different direction to capture the moment following his team's 49-46 win over High Point on Wednesday.
"Dr. (James) Naismith is buried at a small cemetery in Lawrence, Kan., not two miles from Allen Fieldhouse. It's a very small cemetery and he rolled over in his grave tonight, with the way we played offensive basketball," Fox said.
The creator of basketball, had he been above ground and at Stegeman Coliseum, certainly might have shivered from the cold shooting. Georgia (2-1) had an 0-for-13 stretch during a second half in which the Dogs made 3 of 22 field-goal attempts. Georgia was 6-for-12 from 3-point range in the first half and 0-for-9 in the second. High Point outscored the Dogs 24-16 in the final 20 minutes.
As a team Georgia, which led 33-22 at halftime, finished 13-for-44 from the field (29.5 percent). That was almost identical to High Point's shooting (19-for-64, 29.7 percent). It was Georgia's first win while scoring less than 50 points since 2006.
"You've got to play defense," guard J.J. Frazier said of how Georgia survived. "Midway through the second half we realized that jumper wasn't getting in the basket anytime soon, so we just tried to stay stable defensively and just make that the core of our game in the second half."
Fox said some of the Dogs' shooting woes fall on him.
"I have too many moving parts, too many different lineups -- I've coached them poorly offensively," Fox said.
The game was a consistent lineup shuffle for Georgia, which had forwards Yante Maten and Mike Edwards foul out and guard Kenny Gaines was playing with four fouls at the end. Georgia also is still playing without injured guard Juwan Parker and forward Derek Ogbeide.
Georgia's saving grace was in fact its nemesis in the season opener on Nov. 13. The Bulldogs went 17-for-20 at the free-throw line against the Panthers (3-2), a stellar and vital performance, and quite the contrast from Georgia's overtime loss to Chattanooga, in which the Dogs went 28-for-45 at the line.
Senior guard Charles Mann, who had a key miss at the line late in the loss to Chattanooga and was 10-for-16 that night, was perfect Wednesday. Mann's two free throws with 11.1 seconds left gave Georgia a critical three-point cushion in the closing seconds.
"It was relieving, but I've been putting a lot of work in, shooting 100 free throws a day, so I had tremendous confidence going to the line," said Mann, who went 8-for-8 at the line and led three Dogs in double figures with 13 points.
An Ugly Win
Georgia was outrebounded by a smaller team 41-40, with the Panthers getting 15 offensive rebounds to Georgia's five, and the Dogs also had 16 turnovers. High Point also outscored Georgia 26-8 in the paint. A lot of the numbers aren't flattering.
The victory might not have been pretty, but Fox said it can certainly be valuable.
"We learned a lot," he said. "This game is great for us, to be challenged, to be tested, to have to do some things on the fly, to have to ... for Mike Edwards to go in there with four fouls and up three and, hey, do give up a layup or should I just foul the guy and force him to make two free throws? Great foul by Mike Edwards."
That Edwards play came with 32.8 seconds left. With Georgia up 46-43, High Point's lightning-quick forward John Brown, who may be the best all-around athlete Georgia sees this season, drove by Edwards, who fouled him. Brown made 1 of 2 at the line, so the Dogs stayed up by two.
Frazier, 3-for-10 from the field, made 1 of 2 from the line with 28.4 seconds left, putting Georgia up 47-44. Frazier is 4-for-21 from the field in the past two games.
"We're not shooting the ball well, particularly me right now, but that's part of the game of basketball," said Frazier, who did have eight rebounds Wednesday.
Offensive Balance
Last Friday, Georgia guard Kenny Gaines was scorching hot, scoring a career-high 35 points. He hit seven 3-pointers, went 10-for-18 from the field and scored 55.6 percent of the Dogs' points in a 63-52 win over Murray State. That's the highest percentage found in Georgia's records.
That night, no other Bulldog made more than two field goals. The scoring balance was much better Wednesday, despite the low overall percentages, as Mann (13), Gaines (12) and Frazier (10) all reached double figures and Maten finished with eight points.
"It was just the flow of the game," Gaines said of his eight field-goal attempts. "I didn't get as many touches, but I'm not upset -- I'm just happy for the win."
Hitting The Road
Georgia began its season with three straight home games. The Dogs opened with an overtime loss to Chattanooga, followed by wins over Murray State and High Point. This weekend they leave town for the first time, playing at Seton Hall on Saturday night. The Dogs beat the Pirates 65-47 last season in Athens.
"We've been pretty good (on the road) the last couple of years, so hopefully we can start off well this season," Mann said.
The Bulldogs return to Stegeman Coliseum on Tuesday against Oakland.
John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
