Georgia came out firing Friday night at Stegeman Coliseum and never gave Charlotte a chance to take control, rolling to an 87-67 preseason win behind a hot perimeter night and steady all-around production.
The Bulldogs opened with a 9-0 burst just 74 seconds into the game, getting 3-pointers from Kareem Stagg, Kanon Catchings and Marcus "Smurf" Millender to set the tone early. Charlotte eventually settled in and trimmed the margin to 23-22 with 7:43 left in the first half, but Georgia answered in a big way. A Mading Kuany 3-pointer sparked a 24-8 run that sent the Bulldogs into halftime with a 47-30 cushion.
Georgia’s edge only grew from there. The Bulldogs pushed the lead to as many as 80-52 with 6:12 remaining and finished the night without ever trailing.
Blue Cain paced Georgia with 14 points, leading a group of four Bulldogs in double figures. James Scott added 12, while Brady Dunlap and Stagg chipped in 11 apiece.
Stagg also grabbed seven rebounds, and Millender handled the ball with control, finishing with eight assists and just one turnover. Cain contributed two steals, and David Ugonna Ike blocked three shots.
Afterward, Georgia coach Mike White pointed to the team’s shooting and approach.
"Outside shooting the basketball really well. We were 17-of-33 on threes.
We won't shoot it like that very night. I'd love to shoot it like that every night.
I don't know if we did anything great, but I liked our culture. I liked the way it moved late in the game, guys rooting for one another and playing hard."
White also said he values the chance to put his team in different environments during the preseason.
"I'm just a believer in playing in front of people. Playing in front of a road environment next Friday will hopefully be a few thousand people. It's about growth all season but especially in these exhibitions."
Cain said the Bulldogs have already shown him something through two exhibition games.
"I think this team is extremely resilient. Today, Charlotte hung around for the beginning.
I felt like we did a good job of staying together. I think this team is resilient.
I think this team is very connected. We still have a lot of stuff to improve, but I like where we are at."
Stagg said the response after Charlotte’s push was the kind Georgia wanted to see.
"I think we responded well. We came out in the second half, really on our toes, really just trying to clean up all the mistakes we made in the first half.
Just go out there and play hard in the second. That's pretty much the speech the coaches gave us."
Georgia now heads to Clemson for its third and final preseason game next Friday against the Tigers at 6:30 p.m. at Littlejohn Coliseum. Both teams are projected to earn NCAA Tournament bids in the latest ESPN.com Bracketology.
The Bulldogs open the regular season on Monday, Nov. 2, hosting N.C. Central at 7:30 p.m. The game follows the Georgia Lady Bulldogs’ matchup with West Georgia at 5:00 p.m.
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He is not the only Bulldog sidelined, either. Chauncey Bowens, Isiah Canion, Thomas Blackshear, Amaris Williams and Tyriq Green are also listed out, giving Georgia a longer absentee list than it would prefer heading into a rivalry matchup. Auburns report did not bring any fresh movement, with Xavier Atkins, Tai Buster and Hunter Herring still unavailable as both teams work through a stretch where depth is being tested on both sides. [Read more 🡒]
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For Georgia, the bigger ripple may come from what disappears along with the new format. The expanded playoff would wipe out conference championship games, including the SEC title game, while creating automatic bids for Power 4 champions and filling the rest of the bracket with at-large teams. ESPN is also set to pay more for the broadcast rights, which shows how much momentum the plan has, even if the last formal steps still have to be completed. [Read more 🡒]