Georgia men’s basketball defeated Florida State on the road 68-66 after a game-winning shot from Justin Hill with 1.5 seconds remaining, capping off a 24-5 run to end the game and stun Florida State.
“For us to come in here and get that one the way we did speaks volumes about the resiliency and the mental toughness, the resolve and the connectivity of a team with nine new players,” head coach Mike White said. “It was a huge win for us.”
Georgia improved to 4-3 after its victory in its first true road game of the season, and Florida State fell to 4-2. Freshman guard Silas Demary Jr. led the team with 15 points.
With 6:36 remaining in the game, Georgia trailed 61-44 in its largest deficit of the game, following a 16-3 run from Florida State. It seemed like the game was getting out of hand for Georgia after a hard-fought first 34 minutes.
After the game, White said he had a very clear message for the team when they were still trailing by 17.
“How are we going to respond right now?” White said.
Georgia responded quickly and turned the game in its favor with a 12-2 run that cut the deficit to seven points with just over four minutes left. Stifling defense that included steals from Demary, Jabri Abdur-Rahim and RJ Melendez led to scores that helped claw Georgia’s way back into the game.
Georgia recaptured the lead on an Abdur-Rahim 3-pointer with 2:29 left in the game for its first lead since the score was 5-3 in the first two minutes of the game.
Two made free throws from center Frank Anselem-Ibe with 56 seconds left put the Bulldogs up 66-65. A foul on the other end of the court sent Florida State’s De’ante Green to the line, where he tied the game at 66 after making one of his two attempts.
The shot clock was turned off and Georgia called a timeout to draw up a final play, with the luxury of being the last to have the ball. Hill received the inbound pass and dribbled the ball near half court, draining the clock to under 10 seconds remaining. Then, a cross and a drive to the wing found Hill with enough room to drill a mid-range jumper, elevating Georgia over Florida State 68-66. Florida State’s buzzer-beating heave from half court was off-target and Georgia secured the victory.
After a very ugly 25-21 first half, where both teams struggled to shoot the ball, the offenses came alive in the second half. Georgia ended the game shooting 40% from the field and 32% from 3-point range. A major area of concern was the free-throw percentage, as Georgia only made 16 of 26 attempts.
Georgia lost one of its best rebounders, Russel Tchewa in the second half due to a flagrant two ejection on a tie-up for possession. Despite the loss of their center, the Bulldogs held their own on the glass and played impressive defense throughout the game, which kept them close enough to snatch the victory. Georgia was narrowly outrebounded by Florida State, 42-38.
It was a huge win for the Bulldogs, who have had a rocky start to the season with an influx of new players. White said he hopes the win leads to more confidence moving forward.
““Hopefully it gives them a bunch of confidence about what can be accomplished,” White said.
Georgia now returns home to Stegeman Coliseum for its next six games, starting with Mercer on Friday night. With a quick turnaround, the Bulldogs looked to build on the big win and create positive momentum when they took on the Bears on Friday.