University of Georgia Athletics
A Rollercoaster Ride To A Hard-Earned Win
February 26, 2025 | Men's Basketball, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
The start was about as good as it gets. The middle bit was predictably anxiety-inducting, because one of the hardest places to be in a basketball game is up big early against a very good opponent. And the ending, after a few minutes of nausea, was pure bliss and relief and joy and delight.
As time expired at the end of the Georgia men's basketball team's 88-83 upset of No. 3 Florida on Tuesday night, star freshman forward Asa Newell grabbed the last of his nine rebounds and held the ball tight. A thriller of a game — one the Bulldogs led by 26 with 7:53 left in the first half and then trailed by two with 1:08 to play — was complete. Blue Cain's 3-pointer with 47 seconds left put the Bulldogs back in front for good, and then Georgia sealed the win at the free-throw line.
"Big win, crazy game," Georgia coach Mike White said, succinctly summing up what had just transpired. He added that the "team attacked me in the coaches' locker room with about 100 water bottles."
Georgia (17-11, 5-10 SEC) attacked the Gators to start the game with similar zeal. The Bulldogs scored the first six points and then led 12-3 after 3-pointers by Dylan James and Newell. A Silas Demary Jr. 3 made it 15-5, and then a Demary block soon led to a Newell layup and a 17-5 lead. Demary hit another 3 a short time later to make it 20-6.
The Bulldogs led 29-10 with 12:03 left in the first half. Demary, who led Georgia with 21 points, hit another 3 to push the lead to 39-13 with 7:53 left in the half.Â
"I thought we got caught up in the moment early," Florida coach Todd Golden said.
The Gators were Georgia's third top-10 opponent in the Bulldogs' past four games. The Gators were Georgia's eighth top-10 opponent this season. The Gators were also Georgia's 14th ranked opponent this season. The SEC is stacked this season, and Florida is right near the top. The Bulldogs had lost nine of their past 11 games heading into Tuesday, nearly all of those losses coming against ranked SEC teams.
Georgia needed a win, and after a blazing start, the Bulldogs were in an excellent position to get one. But it's also really hard to be up big early against such a quality opponent. The Gators (24-4, 11-4) were bound to get rolling at some point, and they eventually did.
Florida whittled the lead down to 45-32 at one point late in the half before Newell and Tyrin Lawrence hit 3s to help the Bulldogs take a 51-35 lead into halftime.
"Our guys were pretty calm" at halftime, White said.
Georgia held strong through the first five minutes of the second half, taking a 64-48 lead on Lawrence's 3 from the right wing. It was the Bulldogs' ninth 3 in 13 attempts in the game. Before long, the Gators made their run.
A Florida 3 with 8:36 remaining made it 70-60. Another Gator 3 made it 74-67, the closes the game had been since Georgia led 12-5. After baskets by Demary and Lawrence, the Bulldogs led 78-67 with 5:04 remaining — and then the Gators went on a 13-0 run that ended with an 80-78 Florida lead with 1:08 remaining.
The huge Georgia lead was completely gone, but the game wasn't over. The Bulldogs had the ball and a chance to earn a huge win, and they did. Cain's 3 from the right wing sailed in to put Georgia up 81-80 with 47 seconds left.
Because of the defensive attention Demary was drawing, Cain said he knew he'd be open on the play, "and then it felt good coming out of my hands. I was just happy it went in."
As was the packed crowd in the Steg, which erupted as the Bulldogs regained the lead. The Bulldogs then took care of business at the free-throw line, and soon Newell was holding that final rebound and the win was Georgia's.
On Tuesday, inside a raucous Steg, the Bulldogs held on for dear life as the rollercoaster did its twists and turns. Even when the bottom dropped out late, when suddenly the Gators were up two with 68 seconds left, the Bulldogs didn't crack. A young man named Blue answered with a 3 to start an 8-0 run that sent Georgia to its biggest win of the season.
After a brutal stretch against many of the best teams in the nation, the Bulldogs earned this one. When the big lead was gone and the Gators pulled ahead, Georgia showed toughness and character as they made the critical plays to close out a hard-fought, exhausting win.
"They (the Gators) hit huge shots and took the lead, and our response down the stretch was phenomenal," White said. "Florida's really, really good. It was a big win for us."
Assistant Sports Communications Director 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.
