'Dawgs Knock Dust Off In 59-41 Exhibition Victory

Mark Fox emptied the bench and got some promising results Friday night as the Hoop Hounds claimed a 59-41 exhibition victory over Armstrong State. Freshman forward Michael Edwards led Bulldog scorers with 11 points off the bench, but he was only one of thirteen Bulldogs who appeared in the box score. In fact, by the eight minute mark of the second half Georgia had four freshmen on the court with Edwards and E'Torrian Wilridge at forward, Turtle Jackson in the guard spot, and center Derek Ogbeide.

Georgia began the game on an 11-2 run but couldn't really pull away, largely thanks to subpar shooting. The 'Dawgs held an uncomfortably close 30-22 lead at the half but went on a solid run to start the second half and never sniffed serious danger again. Also on the plus side, Kenny Gaines and Juwan Parker each played solid minutes in their respective returns from injury. Charles Mann dropped a solid ten point effort, mostly thanks to a 6-8 effort from the free throw line. Yante Maten contributed a respectable 7 points and 7 rebounds.

There's really only so much one can tell from this sort of contest. But all told the experienced 'Dawgs looked like an experienced team taking care of business. They tallied at double digit win despite only shooting 32 percent from the field and turning it over 21 times.  I can deal with that largely because I expect those numbers will improve once Coach Fox finds a lineup and sticks with it.

The Bulldogs will return to action next Friday night in Stegeman when they host Chattanooga in the official season opener at 7:00 p.m.