After opening their season with a nine-game run in which no contest was decided by a double-digit margin, the Georgia Bulldogs finally played a more or less complete game against the High Point Panthers, cruising to an 85-38 win in Stegeman Coliseum.
The Fox Hounds held a ten-point lead at the half before going on a 51-14 run after intermission. Georgia took advantage of a 19-6 edge in takeaways, turning HPU’s double-digit turnover tally into 25 points. The Red and Black likewise dominated in the paint, outscoring the Panthers 42-10 in proximity to the basket.
The Bulldog bench made its contribution, adding 29 points to the home team’s total, and Georgia was much more effective than High Point in its shot selection. The Hoop Dogs went 31 of 59 (52.5%) inside the arc and seven of 18 (38.9%) from three-point range, whereas the Panthers were 12 of 58 (20.7%) in two-point field goals and five of 17 (29.4%) in long-range shots.
The Red and Black did not play a perfect game, however. High Point led 21-15 in offensive boards and nearly matched the host squad in rebounds (43-42). The Panthers out-shot the Bulldogs from the charity stripe, sinking nine of 14 free throws (64.3%) while Georgia went 16 of 29 from the line (55.2%).
Gerald Robinson led the winning team with 21 points, and Trey Thompkins contributed 15 points, five rebounds, and a pair of blocks in 19 minutes on the court. Four of Thompkins’s five free throws fell. It was just High Point, but the Bulldogs finally put away a team they were supposed to defeat handily, and that is an encouraging sign, even if the performance of Mark Fox’s charges was far from flawless.
Go ‘Dawgs!