MBB: Bulldogs grind out victory over Mississippi State
MBB: Bulldogs grind out victory over Mississippi State
ATHENS — Georgia men’s basketball was able to grind out a win over Mississippi State on Wednesday.
The Bulldogs (12-4, 2-1 SEC) didn’t shoot well in their third SEC matchup of the season; however, they were able to pull away with free throws to secure the 58-50 victory.
Georgia went 14-of-14 from the free-throw line in the final four minutes of the contest. Those shots also helped the Bulldogs pull away after making several key defensive stops.
Georgia first-year head coach Mike White called it a “gritty” win after the game.
“It was a gritty win, a hard-fought win. The two teams, I thought, played really hard,” White said. “I thought we did a great job, despite them getting 14 offensive rebounds, but I feel the number is a little bit misleading. They missed a bunch of free throws, of course.”
Neither Georgia nor Mississippi State shot well from the field in Wednesday night’s game.
The Bulldogs shot 29. 8 percent and also turned the ball over 18 times. On the other hand, the Maroon Bulldogs finished with a 29.5 percent mark from the field, but their free-throw shooting was worse. They were 7-of-22 from the charity stripe, which cost them.
White felt as if Georgia’s ability to take advantage of its free throws made the difference.
“They missed a few from the field and gave us opportunities,” White said. “That 14-0 could have been a lot higher. They are one of the best offensive rebound teams in the country.”
It was a low-scoring first half as Georgia led MSU 20-19 at the break. The game went back and forth in the second half until the Bulldogs got some much-needed help off the bench.
Justin Hill was able to hit a pair of consecutive 3-pointers to keep Georgia in the close contest. He ended up providing a huge spark off the bench as he finished with 12 points.
After Hill nailed a 3-pointer at the 8:22 mark, the Maroon Bulldogs retook a quick lead, but then a jumper on the other end by the Longwood transfer gave the Bulldogs the edge again.
Georgia never looked back at that point and limited Mississippi State in the final eight minutes. The Bulldogs outscored their opponent 18-11 down the stretch in the second half.
White was impressed with Hill’s ability to come in and play well off the bench against MSU.
“He’s gaining confidence and he’s got to continue to gain it,” White said. “He’s a good shooter but we’ve got to continue to get those contributions off the bench (from other guys).”
According to White, the home crowd of 7,741 at Stegeman Coliseum also played a factor, too.
“I am thankful to the crowd that came out. I thought they were a really big factor in the win, especially defensively late in the game,” White said. “Mississippi State is very good. Every team in this league is. We take everyone that we can get. This is a good win for us.”
Georgia’s Terry Roberts was held scoreless in the opening half, but he tallied a team-high 16 points in the final period. He also grabbed three rebounds and dished out two assists.
Hill’s 12 points, which also all came in the second half, were the team’s second-best in scoring. The Bulldogs also had two other players in double-digits against Mississippi State.
Braelen Bridges recorded his second double-double of the year and the third of his career. The Bulldogs’ power forward totaled 11 points and he grabbed 10 boards in the win.
Bridges also made history by scoring the 1,000th career point and grabbing his 500th rebound. Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe also added 10 points and seven rebounds on Wednesday.
On a night when the shots weren’t falling, Georgia looked to its defense. The Bulldogs shut down MSU’s offense, which was averaging 65.8 points per game entering the contest.
“It’s really big. We talked about postgame in the locker room that it’s a step,” White said of the win. “A step for us is winning a hard-fought, physical, tough-nose, gritty game versus a team that just gets after you and who has had a lot of success. When you don’t play great offensively, and they had 90 percent to do with that, they are terrific offensively. We played really well against Auburn. This was a different performance for our guys, so that’s a step in the right direction. And not only for this team but for our program. The next step is to at some point breakthrough on the road.”
The Bulldogs will move on to play their next two games on the road against Ole Miss (Saturday, Jan. 14, 1:00 p.m. EST) and Kentucky (Tuesday, Jan. 17, 9:00 p.m. EST).