University of Georgia Athletics
Dog Notes: A Mighty Run Sparks Blowout
December 22, 2015 | Men's Basketball
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By John Frierson
UGAAA Staff Writer
Clemson took a 13-5 lead on the Georgia men's basketball team with 15:03 left in the first half Tuesday night at Stegeman Coliseum. The Tigers' Gabe DeVoe hit a 3, the Tigers' third early in the game, and soon after the rout was on. But not like you'd expect.
After DeVoe's 3, the Bulldogs took complete control of the game. Georgia went on a 23-3 run during the next 10 minutes -- a run that ended on a Kenny Gaines 3 from the left corner that made it 28-16 Dogs with 5:01 to play in the half.
Georgia led by as many as 17 points twice in the opening 20 minutes before taking a 39-24 lead into the locker room. From 13-5 down to up by 15, a swing of 23 points less than a half -- that will make a coach happy.
"We didn't start the game great and they really showed us in the first five minutes (that) we better play exactly like we've been practicing, and we were able to flip the switch and play very, very well," Georgia coach Mark Fox said after the Bulldogs' 71-48 win.
So how does something like a 23-3 run, or, to stretch it out farther, outscoring the Tigers 34-11 after the 15:03 mark, happen? According to Dogs sophomore forward Yante Maten, everyone just started doing their jobs better.
It was Turtle Jackson, one of three players subbed in with 15:44 to play in the half who lit the spark by hitting a 3. Then came a Gaines jumper after Clemson's second straight miss. Clemson later led 16-12 before Charles Mann really got running, hitting a basket and then tying the game at 16 at the 10:33 mark with a pair of free throws.
Mann finished with a game-high 18 points, going 8-for-8 at the line.
"Coaches kind of got on us (after the first five minutes) about playing better and I think we kind of turned it on from there," Mann said.
After a quiet couple of minutes for both teams, Gaines hit a 3 to make it 19-16. Then Maten hit two free throws, followed by an 18-foot jumper. Clemson called a timeout to try to slow the Dogs' momentum, but it didn't work. By the time Gaines hit the 3 with 5:01 left in the half, giving the Dogs a 28-16 lead, Georgia (6-3) was enjoying a 16-0 surge after trailing 16-12.
"I think everyone knew what they had to do and was just trying to execute. Chuck was playing really efficient, as well. He was finishing a lot of his attempts tonight and I'm real proud of him for that," said Maten, who only wound up playing 15 minutes, scoring eight points to snap a streak of five straight games with at least 17 points.
At the half, seven Bulldogs had scored and Georgia was shooting 57.1 percent from the field, while the Tigers were shooting 21.9 percent. It was never a game after that. Gaines, who passed the 1,000-point mark for his career early in the game, finished with 17.
Clemson (7-5) came into Stegeman holding its first 11 opponents to just 57.6 points per game, which ranked second in the ACC and sixth in all of Division I. Georgia eclipsed that number, going up 59-33 on a Mike Edwards layup, with 11:40 to play in the game.
"One of the things that we have talked about with out team is, the only way to really prepare to play against great defense is to practice against it every day," Fox said. "And we have really been intensely guarding each other in practice and that's helped us grown as an offensive team."
Georgia's defense was mostly solid against the Tigers, though Fox said an off shooting night by Clemson also played a role in its rough 27.1 field-goal percentage. Still, Clemson came in averaging 70.2 points per game and was held to 48.
Some Breathing Room
Georgia's first six games were all tight, grind-it-out affairs. The Dogs won half of those six and the whole half-dozen were decided by 11 points or less, with four decided by four or fewer. It was high drama every time out for the Dogs, which isn't always the best thing for the guys in red and black.
Then came a 10-point, 74-64 victory over Winthrop on Dec. 8. That was followed with Saturday's 14-point victory over rival Georgia Tech. And that was followed by Tuesday's rout of Clemson. Finally, some breathing room.
Georgia's more comfortable wins have come as the squad is getting healthier, young players are getting experience and veterans are getting accustomed to their new challenges.
"I think we're all finding our roles and we're definitely playing them really well right now," Maten said.
A Global Game
Georgia's squad has an international flavor with Nigerian sophomore forward Osahen Iduwe and freshman forward Derek Ogbeide, who was born in Nigeria and has lived in multiple countries. Clemson has gone even more global, at least at the five spot, with sophomore center Legend Robertin of London, England, senior center Landry Nnoko of Cameroon and junior center Sidy Djitte of Senegal.
There were times when Ogbeide or Induwe were guarding their international counterparts, when it was a couple of guys who traveled many thousands of miles to be on the court together.
"It was an international game," Ogbeide said, adding that he knew some of Clemson's guys "a little bit" and they talked in some "colloquial languages, so to speak."
Ogbeide, who missed the first five games this season with a shoulder injury, is getting more and more action each game since his debut on Dec. 4 against Kansas State. Against Clemson he scored a career-high six points and tied career highs with four rebounds and 11 minutes played.
Too Many Second Chances
Any coach can find reason for concern or complaint after a win, even a 23-point blowout that was never in doubt in the second half. Fox didn't have to look far for a legitimate concern.
Clemson and Georgia tied with 35 rebounds each, but the Tigers were able to grab 18 at the offensive end -- 10 more than Georgia. If Clemson had been able to connect on more shots, this could have been a game. Despite the big offensive rebound advantage, Georgia and Clemson finished with nine second-chance points each.
"That's something we've got to fix," Ogbeide said. "We've got to get on the glass. There's no excuse around it."
What's Next
Georgia will get to enjoy a short break for Christmas before returning to the court. The Dogs' next game is Dec. 29, when they host Robert Morris at 7 p.m. Georgia won its only previous meeting with the Colonials, 99-62, on Dec. 22, 1984.
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: hFrierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
