To say that everything went Georgia‘s (11-12; 2-7) way in the first half of Wednesday night’s game against Arkansas would be an understatement.
The Dawgs – a team averaging 55 points a game in conference play – rang up 43 points before the intermission against the Razorbacks, taking a 19-point lead into the halftime break. Georgia made over 56% of their shots from the floor, scored 20 points in the paint (to Arkansas’s 6) and out-rebounded the Hogs by a count of 25-10. Usually the Dawgs are on the receiving end of this kind of domination.
Gerald Robinson, Jr. was untouchable, torching the Razorbacks for 17 first-half points to go along with 4 assists and 3 rebounds. GR2 finished with a game- and career-high of 27 points on 10 of 13 shooting from the floor as well as 5 assists and 5 boards.
Even Marcus Thornton, yes Marcus Thornton, buried a three from the wing with to put the Dawgs up 26-11 with 6:57 remaining before the break. And then he hit another with less than 12 minutes left in the game to give Georgia a 60-33 advantage!
Arkansas looked nothing like the team that upended Michigan, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt on Wednesday night. Coach Mike Anderson’s team appeared lethargic and soft on defense, and UGA exploited the Hogs’ sluggishness to the tune of 81 points – a team-high in SEC play this season – compared to Arkansas’s 59.
This game marked the first time in 2012 that Georgia has gone over the 70-point mark – the Dawgs hadn’t eclipsed 70 since their 92-86 overtime win over Winthrop back on the 27th of December. UGA was efficient on offense, making nearly 54% of their shots and dishing out 15 team assists.
The Bulldogs were on cruise control for most of the second half, opening up a lead that nearly reached 30 points. Georgia unloaded on the Hogs from beyond the arc, knocking down 9 of their 20 attempts.
UGA owned the glass on Wednesday night, easily winning the rebounding battle by a count of 41-20.
Even though Robinson contributed a third of the Dawgs’ points, Georgia’s scoring was quite balanced with three other players finishing the game in double-digits. Freshman Kentavious-Caldwell Pope had a solid performance, chipping in 18 points on 60% shooting from the field. Neme Djurisic and Marcus Thornton added 14 and 10 points, respectively.
The Georgia players should sleep well tonight knowing they finally put an end to their SEC losing streak which had gotten to four games. More importantly, South Carolina dropped another road game at Tennesse, allowing the Dawgs to shake free of the Gamecocks and pull themselves out of the bottom of the SEC standings.
The Dawgs get two days off before traveling to Starkville to take on the Maroon Dogs this Saturday.