Bulldogs Open Cayman Classic Against Sam Houston State

Georgia Basketball Game Notes
Georgia (1-1) vs. Sam Houston State (2-2)
Friday, November 16 at 7:00 p.m. ET
Stegeman Coliseum (10,523) in Athens, Ga.
Listen: Georgia Bulldog Sports Network Flagship: WSB AM 750 Atlanta; XM: 382; Internet: 965. (Scott Howard, play-by-play; Chuck Dowdle, analyst; Tony Schiavone, producer)
TV: None
Video: SEC Network + (Jeff Dantzler, play-by-play; Shaun Golden analyst)

Pos	No.	Name	PPG	RPG

Georgia Bulldogs
Coach: Tom Crean
1-1 in 1st season at UGA
357-232 in 19th season overall
G	0	William Jackson II	2.5	4.0
6-4; 185; Jr.; Athens, Ga.
G	1	Teshaun Hightower	11.5	3.0
6-5; 180; So.; Lithonia, Ga.
F	20	Rayshaun Hammonds	11.0	5.0
6-8; 235; So.; Norcross, Ga.
F	33	Nicolas Claxton	11.0	8.0
6-11; 220; So.; Greenville, S.C.
F	34	Derek Ogbeide	14.0	9.0
6-9; 250; Sr.; Atlanta, Ga

Pos	No.	Name	PPG	RPG

Sam Houston State
Coach: Jason Hooten
160-115 in 10th season at SHSU
160-115 in 10th season overall
G	3	Chad Bowie	6.8	4.3
6-2; 180; Jr.; Houston, Texas
G	22	Marcus Harris	6.8	1.3
6-0; 180; R-Sr.; San Antonio, Texas
G	2	Cameron Delaney	14.5	4.8
6-4; 205; R-Sr.; Harker Heights, Texas
0	0	Alberta Almanza	4.5	3.8
6-6; 195; R-Sr.; Austin, Texas
F	20	Kai MItchell	11.3	7.0
6-7; 245; Jr.; Haverstraw, N.Y.

TEAM COMPARISON

STATISTIC	GEORGIA	SAM HOUSTON STATE
Points Per Game	93.5	76.8
Opp. Point Per Game	78.5	67.5
Scoring Margin	+15.0	+9.3
Field Goal Pct.	.544	.428
Opp. Field Goal Pct.	.299	.399
3-Point Pct.	.405	.301
3-Pointers Per Game	7.5	7.8
Opp. 3-Point Pct.	.299	.298
Free Throw Pct.	.667	.754
Free Throws Per Game	18.0	11.5
Rebounds Per Game	50.5	41.2
Opp. Rebound Per Game	36.5	35.2
Rebound Margin	+14.0	+6.0
Assists Per Game	21.5	15.5
Turnovers Per Game	21.5	11.8
Assist-to-Turnover Ratio	1.00	1.32
Turnover Margin	-7.0	+5.5
Steals Per Game	8.5	9.3
Blocks Per Game	6.5	2.3

The Starting 5...

Georgia opened the season with a 110-76 win over Savannah State, the Dogs" most points since Nov. 27, 1999, against Grambling.
The crowd of 9,018 against Savannah State was UGA"s largest for a home opener since Dominique Wilkins" sopho-more year in Athens.
Tyree Crump leads five Bulldogs averaging double digits, also D. Ogbeide, T. Hightower, N. Claxton & R. Hammonds.
Tom Crean improved of 18-1 all-time in season openers as a head coach, going 8-1 at Marquette, 9-0 and Indiana and now 1-0 at UGA.
UGA"s coaching staff sports a combined 80 seasons of D-I experience (Crean-28, Scott-27, Dollar-23, Abdur-Rahim-12) with 38 postseason bids

The Opening Tip

Georgia hosts Sam Houston State on Friday night at Stegeman Coliseum which, technically, is the Bulldogs" first game of the Cayman Islands Classic. The Classic field features 12 teams, eight competing in a bracket on Grand Cayman next Monday-Wednesday and four more (including SHSU) playing two games on campus sites and two in Johnson City, Tenn.

Series History

Friday"s matchup is the first ever between the Bulldogs and the Bearkats. Georgia is 4-1 all-time against teams currently competing with Sam Houston State in the Southland Conference – 3-0 vs. New Orleans and 1-1 against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

Up Next: Sam Houston State

Georgia will leave early Saturday morning for the remainder of the Cayman Islands Classic. The Bulldogs will face Illinois State on Monday at 1:30 p.m. ET. Georgia will face either Akron or Clemson on Tuesday afternoon, and then could play in the afternoon or evening on Wednesday based on the first two days" results. All of the games in the Caymans will be available online via Stadium, Facebook"s streaming service.

A Historic Opener

Georgia christened both the 2018-19 campaign and the Tom Crean era last Friday with an impressive evening on and off the court.

The Bulldogs secured a 110-76 victory over Savannah State, their most points in the 2000s.

The last time the Bulldogs scored more was in a 113-74 victory over Grambling on Nov. 27, 1999, at the Great Alaska Shootout.

A crowd of 9,018 fans turned out at Stegeman Coliseum for the opener.

The last time the Bulldogs drew a larger crowd for their initial home outing was in 37 years ago in 1981, which was Dominique Wilkins" sophomore year. A then-capacity crowd of 11,200 turned out for a 62-61 win over Georgia Tech on Dec. 5, 1981.

Last Friday"s crowed represented the most fans for a home opener since the Stegeman Coliseum's capacity became 10,523 prior to the 1994-95 season.

Also on the scoreboard front, Georgia's 59 first-half points were its most in a half since putting up 60 in the second stanza of a 107-65 decision over Jacksonville State 11 years earlier to the day...on Nov. 9, 2007.

"First things first, I want to say thank you to everybody who was here for this," Crean said. "This is largest crowd on an opening night since they redid Stegeman Coliseum, and it was fun. It was fun to see the enthusiasm that people have had turn into bodies and live energy and loud fans tonight. That was tremendous. I want to say that first and foremost."

Bulldogs Set Sellout Record

The Tom Crean regime established an impressive attendance record before ever seting foot on the Stegeman Coliseum floor.

Georgia sold out three regular-season games in October.

On Oct. 24, Georgia announced sellouts for both the Florida and Kentucky games. That represented the earliest sellout in Georgia Basketball history.

Two days later, the Bulldogs' matchup with Texas also became a sellout.

Prior to this year, Georgia had never sold out more than one game prior to the season.

It's Games Time!

The Bulldogs will play six games in the first 13 days of the 2018-19 campaign.

That stretch began with the Nov. 9 season opener against Savannah State and a trip to Temple on Tuesday. Following Friday's game with Sam Houston State, the Bulldogs will trek to the Cayman Islands Classic and play three games in as many days.

The Bulldogs Who Are Back

Georgia returns three starters – seniors William "Turtle" Jackson and Derek Ogbeide and sophomore Rayshaun Hammonds – and 11 total letterwinners from last season's team.

Of those 11 returnees, nine have starting experience within SEC play.

Georgia's Four Puppies

The Bulldogs' 15-player roster features a quartet of freshmen.

Three of those are Peach State prep products – Tye Fagan from Thomaston, Amanze Ngumezi from Savannah and JoJo Toppin from Norcross. The fourth, Ignas Sargiunas, hails from Kaunas, Lithuania.

Tigers Jack Up Record Shots

Savannah State attempted the most field goals and 3-pointers by any opponent in Georgia's 114 seasons of basketball.

The Tigers put up 93 shots from the field, including 57 from behind the arc. The previous mosts by a Bulldog foe were 89 FGAs by Southern Miss on Dec. 21, 1974, and 40 3-point attempts by Fresno State on March 14, 2007.

Savannah State's 17 made trifectas represented the second-most ever against Georgia, falling one shy of Fresno State's makes.

"This was a tremendous lesson and game for us to play this pace," Crean said. "I've never coached against anything like this pace. We can learn from it, and we can learn what we've got to get better at.

"I loved our approach to start the game," Crean added. "The biggest focus for us was to get back to the corners. Most teams will send someone to the rim on the break. They were not running to the rim as much as they were running to each corner. We wanted to get that covered, and we did a pretty good job of that in the first half."

Bulldogs' Board Count At No. 3

Savannah State's pace helped lead to 62 rebounds for Georgia, the third-most ever by the Bulldogs in a game as outlined below.

Thirteen of 15 Bulldogs had at least one rebound on the night, with Nicolas Claxton's career-high 13 boards pacing the team.

Rk.	Reb.	Site-Opponent	Date
UGA Most Single-Game Rebounds
1.	78	H-Sewanee	12/3/68
2.	68	N-Long Island	12/6/91
3.	62	H-Savannah State	11/9/18
		H-Jacksonville State	11/9/07
4.	60	H-Bethune-Cookman	12/7/93
5.	59	A-Ole Miss	3/2/91
	59	H-Bryant	11/10/17

Busy Bulldogs Host Bearkats

Georgia hosts Sam Houston State on Friday night, the third of six games in the first 13 days of the 2018-19 season for the Bulldogs.

Georgia topped Savannah State last Friday before dropping a heart-breaker at Temple on Tuesday. The Bulldogs rallied from a dozen points down with less than 10 minutes, closed the gap to 79-77 and gained possession with 22 seconds left before falling short of completing the rally.

No less than five Bulldogs are averaging double figures on the young season. Tyree Crump is pacing Georgia at 15.0 ppg off the bench, while Derek Ogbeide is adding 14.0 ppg, Teshaun Hightower is chipping in 11.5 ppg and Nicolas Claxton and Rayshaun Hammonds both are scoring at an 11.0 ppg clip.

The Bearkats are 2-2 to date, beginning the season with a couple of home wins before dropping road outings at Louisana Tech and No. 19 Clemson.

Cameron Delany leads Sam Houston State on the offensive end at 14.5 ppg, while Kai Mitchell contributes 11.3 ppg.

Series History With the Bearkats

Georgia and Sam Houston State are meeting for the first time ever on the hardwood.

Last Time Out...

Georgia rallied from a 12-point deficit with less than 10 minutes remaining but could not complete the comeback at Temple on Tuesday. A pair of free throws from the Owls sealed the 81-77 final at the Liacouras Center.

Derek Ogbeide led the Bulldogs with 16 points and 11 rebounds, registering the seventh double-double of his career. Tyree Crump contributed 16 points off the bench, while Rayshaun Hammonds added 13.

"The character was definitely there, but we have to learn to be the same team both halves," head coach Tom Crean said. "The first half, we were back on our heels against the pressure, and we weren't attacking once we set the screen in the middle of the floor. We didn't attack, and we work on attacking every day. It's not natural for them to be on the attack, and we just have to learn to do that, and we will. I was definitely proud of the way they played."

After a back-and-forth battle with numerous lead changes early on, Temple pulled away for the 45-34 lead at intermission.

Early in the second half, a couple of E'Torrion Wilridge free throws and an Ogbeide dunk brought the contest within four, but the Owls regained a safe distance until 9:31 remained.

Then, Georgia used seven unanswered points to fuel a 9-2 run, highlighted by four Tye Fagan points and a Teshaun Hightower 3-pointer that made it 63-58.

The teams then traded baskets five consecutive times – complete with six Crump points from behind the arc. Another Crump basket, this time a jumper, followed by a pair of drained free throws by Ogbeide cut the Georgia deficit to three with 1:12 remaining.

A Hammonds 3-pointer closed the gap to two with 27 seconds left. An awry in-bound play handed the ball back to Georgia, but Ogbeide's potential game-tying jumper was off the mark. The Owls' free throws iced the final.

"I'm proud of the way we responded in the second half," Crean said. "We just have to build on it and get a good crowd on Friday against Sam Houston State."

Dogs' Lineup A Work In Progress

Georgia's starters in the matchup box of the PDF version of the Game Notes are just the same five players who got the nod against Temple. Tom Crean was adamant that the Bulldogs' lineup and rotations are anything but set.

"I've said to them, and it's going to be like this for a while, we don't have a starting five," Crean said after the season opener. "It's not coach-speak. In my mind, we don't have one. I don't think you can build a program and not have real competition.

"We had some very good individual nights, but we also have a lot of things that we can improve upon," Crean added. "That's the exciting thing because the things we need to improve upon are very correctable things – the free throw shooting, the decision making, the two-handed rebounds, the blocking out."

Excitement Surrounds Bulldogs

Tom Crean was hired as the Bulldogs' head coach on March 15 and has created an off-season buzz surrounding Georgia Basketball that it hasn't been seen since Dominique Wilkins' playing days in Athens during the early-1980s.

Before this season, Georgia had never sold out more than one game before the regular-season opener. This fall, the Bulldogs had three sellouts – Florida, Kentucky and Texas – in October.

In addition, the number of contributors and the amount donated to UGA's Basketball Enhancement Fund (BEF) set records by considerable margins. The BEF tally topped $1 million for the first time ever and as of Nov. 7 had bettered the previous watermark by just shy of 25 percent.

"I'm just looking forward to this enthusiasm that is being generated around the program being live, screaming bodies in the seats," Crean said prior to the season opener. "We want bodies that are there early, that are there during, that are loud at the beginning, that are helping us through it and that coming to have some fun."

Tom Crean's Dunkyard Dawgs

In 1975, James Brown wrote and released "Dooley's Junkyard Dawgs" in support of the Georgia football team and in particular its scrappy defense.

Brown, an Augusta native, was a big UGA fan who was once grand marshall of the school's Homecoming parade and even performed his song about Vince Dooley's Bulldogs at halftime of a game.

If the late Godfather of Soul would have been at Stegeman Coliseum for the season opener, he likely would have been in the studio working on "Tom Crean's Dunkyard Dawgs" the following day.

Georgia opened the season with three emphatic slams – two from Nicolas Claxton and another by Derek Ogbeide – in the first 64 seconds against Savannah State. The Bulldogs finished the evening with a dozen dunks – four from Claxton, two from Ogbeide and Amanze Ngumezi and one each from Mike Edwards, Jordan Harris, Christian Harrison and E'Torrion Wilridge.

Bulldogs' Roster Loaded With Peach State Products

Nearly three-fourths of Georgia's roster – 11-of-15=.733 to be exact – played high school hoops in the Peach State.

The list includes: seniors Christian Harrison (Woodward Academy), William "Turtle" Jackson (Athens Christian School), Connor O'Neill (Blessed Trinity Catholic High School) and Derek Ogbeide (Pebblebrook High School); juniors Tyree Crump (Bainbridge High School) and Jordan Harris (Seminole County High School); sophomores Rayshaun Hammonds (Norcross High School) and Teshaun Hightower (Collins Hills High School); and freshmen Tye Fagan (Upson-Lee High School); Amanze Ngumezi (Johnson High School) and JoJo Toppin (Norcross High School).

Feel Free To Call Him "Ty-3" Crump

Junior Tyree Crump has scored just under two-thirds of his career points at Georgia on shots from at least 20-feet, 9-inches away from the basket.

With a six 3-pointers in the first two games, Crump has knocked down 69 3s for the Bulldogs, directly accounting for 207 of of his points 331 (62.5 percent) during his collegiate career.

Those 69 trifectas also account for 66.3 percent (69-of-104) of his made shots from the floor as a Bulldog.

Claxton Goes International

Nicolas Claxton spent a portion of his summer playing for the U.S. Virgin Islands national team in qualifying contests for the 2019 FIBA World Cup. He is eligible to do so since his father, Charles, an All-SEC center for UGA in the early-90s, was born on the U.S.V.I.

Claxton helped ignite a closing 13-0 surge in an 84-74 victory over the Bahamas on June 28. He was fouled and converted a free throw to start the run and then made a stickback with 3:15 left to put the U.S.V.I up for good. With 2:51 remaining, Claxton stole a Buddy Hield pass that resulted in a bucket on the other end.

In a loss to Canada on July 2 on Ottawa, Claxton scored seven points and had a team-high six rebounds.

Fagan Owns Unique Record

The first recruit to commit to Georgia under Tom Crean certainly brought a winning résumé to Athens.

Tye Fagan, who inked papers with Bulldogs on May 1 during the spring signing period, helped Upson-Lee High School to back-to-back state titles and 63 consecutive victories as a junior and senior. That represents the third-longest winning streak in Georgia boys' basketball prep history.

"Any time you can add a championship-winning player and person to your program, it's great," Crean said. "But I can't recall ever signing anyone that was 63-0. That's unique."

Ogbeide Already Ranks Among Bulldogs' Best Boarders Ever

Derek Ogbeide began his senior season with 614 rebounds and ranked No. 17 among the Georgia's career leaders

Workouts Feature Belted "Dawg OF The Week" Accolade Georgia's summer and fall workouts have included the naming of a "Dawg of the Week," an award accompanied by an extremely authentic wrestling-style championship belt.

"That was (strength & conditioning director) Sean Hayes' idea," Tom Crean said. "He showed me the design and I liked it and he got it done. It's something that Sean really spearheads, and he's really basing it not only on who had the best week themselves but most importantly who's helping others the best. It's about who's not only pushing themselves to a very high level but through the fatigue, through the frustration that comes through the adversity that comes. Are they really helping their teammates, especially the young guys?"

Inaugural StegMania A Success

Tom Crean arrived in Athens with a distinct vision. One of the first things he wanted to create was an preseason event to display the new energy and enthusiasm surrounding Georgia Basketball.

On Friday, Oct. 5, the first-ever StegMania drew a crowd of more than 5,000. It was, by all measures, a significant success.

UGA students lined up around the Coliseum to receive commemorative "StegMania" t-shirts. A lengthy autograph session with a distinct family feel wrapped up the festivities.

StegMania itself was packed with pyrotechnic player introductions, a high-flying dunk contest, a dance battle with the Georgia Lady Bulldogs, a impromptu performance of the hit song "Rolex" by hip-hop artists Ayo & Teo and a scrimmage with Crean "mic'd up" for the crowd.

"When you're brand new coming into something like this, you really don't have an expectation," said Crean, who donned a "Georgia vs. All Y'all" t-shirt for the evening. "But if I would've had one, it would have exceeded it. When I saw people in line to get into the Coliseum, I got a lump in my throat. It was awesome because you never take it for granted. Hopefully, everyone walks out of here knowing that they matter."

Bulldogs in Openers

With the victory over Savannah State, Georgia improved to 81-33 record in season-opening contests during the Bulldogs' 114 campaigns of basketball.

That tally includes a 35-6 mark when the Bulldogs have opened the season at Stegeman Coliseum.

Georgia's biggest victory in an opener at the Coliseum also was its first. In the Bulldogs' first-ever season opener in the Coliseum on Dec. 3 1964, UGA bested No. 13 North Carolina, 64-61.

Crean's Opening Outings

Tom Crean improved to 18-1 in season openers as a head coach. Crean was 8-1 to begin his nine seasons at Marquette from 1999-2008. He was a perfect 9-0 at Indiana from 2008-17.

The biggest season-opening victory for a Crean-coached team was two years ago when the No. 11-ranked Hoosiers defeated No. 3 Kansas, 103-99, in overtime at the Armed Forces Challenge in Honolulu.

The Hoosiers raced to an 8-1 start that season – including a second signature victory in November over eventual 2017 NCAA Champion North Carolina – before injuries decimated Indiana's roster.

Some Early-Season Birthdays

Three Bulldogs will celebrate their birthdays during November.

Jake Thelen, Georgia's Director of Basketball Operations, enjoyed his birthday on Thursday, Nov. 8. Thelen, who turned 26, is the youngest "DOBO" at a Power 5 program.

On Saturday, Nov. 10, Rayshaun Hammonds turned 20, and Teshaun Hightower will turn 21 on next Wednesday, Nov. 21.

Bulldogs Win Exhibitions

Georgia won both of its preseason exhibition outings. The Bulldogs bested UAB in Birmingham, 56-54, on Oct. 18 and the topped Division II West Georgia, 98-59 on Nov. 1.

Against UAB, Rayshaun Hammonds led Georgia with 13 points and nine rebounds. Nicolas Claxton and JoJo Toppin added eight points each for the Bulldogs.

Hammonds scored on a three-point play that ignited a 9-3 run over the final 3:58 for the Bulldogs. Georgia held UAB without a field goal for the final 5:41 of the contest.

Tyree Crump led a quartet of Bulldogs in double figures against West Georgia. Crump knocked down 6-of-10 3-point attempts en route to 18 points.

Nicolas Claxton added 14 points, while Rayshaun Hammonds and Teshaun Hightower chipped in 10 apiece. Claxton and Hammonds each grabbed a game-high nine rebounds.

The Bulldogs raced to a 12-1 lead and held the Wolves without a field goal for the first 6:37 of the game.

The Leftiest Lads In The Land

The Bulldogs' roster features six – count 'em on two hands – left-handed players. Georgia's southpaws include Nicolas Claxton, Tye Fagan, Rayshaun Hammonds, Jordan Harris, Derek Ogbeide and JoJo Toppin.

We're relatively confident that tally is the most any NCAA Division I basketball team will suit up during 2018-19.

During the summer months, J.D. Hamilton of the NCAA sends out a laundry list of questions to the nation's Division I men's basketball SIDs. The inquiries can range from statistical – what school has the most 2,000-point scorers – to staff – who has the nation's most experienced coaching staff – to roster related – who has the most newcomers.

Round 1 of the email on September 5 including the following offering from Athens: "Georgia has six left-handed players. Does any other team in the country have as many or more players who are left-handed?"

Not that SIDs are bound to answer every request, but that question received no replies. So, the ask was modified for a second email correspondence sent out by Hamilton on September 26 to read: "Georgia has six left-handed players. Does any other team in the country have as four or more players who are left-handed?"

That led to Tennessee (D.J. Burns, John Fulkerson, Jalen Johnson and Yves Pons), Washington (David Crisp, Elijah Hardy, Bryan Penn-Johnson and Nate Roberts) and Winthrop (Adam Pickett, Jermaine Ukaegbu, Kyle Zunic and Raivis Scerbinskis) supplying lists of four.

While nothing is official, Georgia will claim the unofficial title of the leftiest team in America until proven otherwise.

Bulldogs Open Cayman Classic Against Sam Houston State

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Nicolas Claxton

Tyree Crump

Mike Edwards

Tye Fagan

Rayshaun Hammonds

Jordan Harris

Christian Harrison

Teshaun Hightower

William Jackson II

Amanze Ngumezi

Connor O'Neill

Derek Ogbeide

Ignas Sargiunas

JoJo Toppin

E'Torrion Wilridge

University of Georgia Athletics

Bulldogs Open Cayman Classic Against Sam Houston State

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Nicolas Claxton

Tyree Crump

Mike Edwards

Tye Fagan

Rayshaun Hammonds

Jordan Harris

Christian Harrison

Teshaun Hightower

William Jackson II

Amanze Ngumezi

Connor O'Neill

Derek Ogbeide

Ignas Sargiunas

JoJo Toppin

E'Torrion Wilridge

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