Georgia men’s basketball opened up the Greenlight Sunshine Slam on Monday night in Daytona Beach, Fl., with a 66-53 win over Saint Joseph’s due to a strong defensive effort.

The Bulldogs (4-1) advanced to the finals of the in-season tournament with a victory over the Hawks (3-2). They will take on UAB (3-1) at 4 p.m. on Tuesday at the Ocean Center.

Georgia head coach Mike White thought his team came out and played well in the first half.

“Energy, urgency, communication. Those facets of defense are just so important. I know they can be cliché, but they are the difference between a really good defense and an average defense,” White said. “I thought we were on point in the first 20. It was as well as we’ve defended.”

The Bulldogs came out firing on all cylinders - both defensively and offensively. They held a commanding 38-15 lead over Saint Joseph’s heading into the locker room at the half.