Georgia Falls to Florida, 84-72

Saturday, February 26

Athens, Ga.

12:00 p.m.

University of Georgia

6-23,1-15SEC

Florida

18-11,8-8SEC

Florida

Georgia

February 26, 2022 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score Post Game Notes/Quotes

PRESS CONFERENCE VIDEOS

Coach Crean

B. Bridges

ATHENS, Ga. – Despite 20 points from sophomore Kario Oquendo, the University of Georgia men's basketball team dropped an 84-72 contest to Florida Saturday afternoon before 9,070 spectators at Stegeman Coliseum.

Oquendo led Georgia (6-23, 1-15 SEC) in scoring for the seventh time in eight games, finishing 7-for-19 from the field with four 3-pointers and six rebounds. Senior Braelen Bridges tallied 16 points on 8-for-12 shooting with a team-high seven boards, while graduate Aaron Cook posted 10 points and four assists. For the game, the Bulldogs shot 46.6 percent from the field.

"I feel for these guys in so many ways," said Georgia head coach Tom Crean following the game. "Crowd was great. I feel for them. I feel for our players so much. We just could not get both ends put together in a consistent way. Too many times in this game, we gave up the straight line drive."

Both offenses came out firing in the early going with Georgia finding success from beyond the arc with a trio of threes, but Florida (18-11, 8-8 SEC) was able to match with three of its own before the first media break. Coming out of the timeout, the triples continued to rain down with Oquendo and senior Noah Baumann connecting to give the Bulldogs an 18-16 lead.

After Cook tied the game with a transition layup, Florida began inching away with a 9-0 run before a pair of quick Georgia buckets ended the drought. The Bulldogs' run continued with Oquendo bringing the deficit to two with five minutes remaining. The Gators worked in the paint to rebuild the advantage, while Oquendo continued to battle with his fourth three of the half, bringing the score to 41-34 Florida at the half.

As the second half opened, Florida broke out with 10 unanswered points, including a pair of threes. Led by junior Dalen Ridgnal, Georgia responded with a 13-3 run, cutting the Gators' lead to seven with under 13 minutes to play. Yet, as before, the Gators countered with strong shooting to power a 12-2 run, giving them a 68-53 lead at the under-8 timeout.

In the closing stretch, Bridges continued his strong performance with a pair of jumpers, but Florida was able to answer and maintain its comfortable lead. With both teams entering the bonus, the Bulldogs knocked the margin down to 12, but were unable to cut further though Cook hit a three in the final seconds.

Georgia remains home this Tuesday, March 1, for its final home game of the season against Tennessee at Stegeman Coliseum. The matchup with the Volunteers is set for a 6:30 p.m. tip and will air on SEC Network