After two decisive wins at home against Wake Forest and NC Central, the Georgia men’s basketball team headed to the Bahamas to take on the No. 12 Miami Hurricanes in the Baha Mar Hoops Championship. The Bulldogs ultimately fell 79-68.

Georgia opened the game shooting well, though Miami’s 15-6 run to cap off the first half put the Bulldogs in a hole early in which they struggled to recover and ultimately cost them the game.

Freshman guard Blue Cain led all scorers on the night with 18 points, finishing 7-of-12 from the field, and 4-of-7 from behind the arc to lead an otherwise awful shooting appearance for the team.

The Bulldogs, once again, were highlighted by their inability to hit the 3-pointer, shooting just 29% from behind the line. Senior Jabri Abdur-Rahim, the team’s leading scorer, went 1-of-8 from three.

“We’ve got to share it better,” head coach Mike White said of the team’s struggles on offense. “We had some ill advised decisions… early game and late first half it stood out.”

Despite the recent shooting slump, the Bulldogs did play well defensively. They tallied two blocks and four steals against the Hurricanes to close out an improved defensive showing.

Georgia’s other freshman guard, Silas Demary Jr., once again led the defensive charge, tallying three of the team’s steals and accounting for a team-high eight rebounds. Demary also led Georgia in assists with seven — more than the rest of the team combined.

Another bright spot for the Bulldogs tonight was the role the bench played. Georgia’s bench outscored Miami’s 26-8 on the night.

Although Georgia did have some bright spots, the Miami starting five ultimately had a field day as they accounted for 71 of the team’s 79 points and Miami shot 94% from the free throw line as a team.

Up next, the Bulldogs will take on the Providence Friars in the second game of the Baha Mar Hoops Championship at 12 p.m. on Sunday before heading back home to take on Winthrop late next week.