Georgia sneaks past No. 21 St. Mary’s in overtime

Georgia put together it’s best offensive effort of the season knocking off No. 21 Saint Mary’s 83-81 in overtime to finish in third place at the Wooden Legacy Tournament.

Both teams went back and forth throughout regulation with neither able to gain the upper hand. The Bulldogs put together their most consistent effort offensively as they were crisp with their decision making and most importantly took care of the basketball.

A three-pointer by Tyree Crump pushed Georgia’s lead to eight with just over 11 minutes remaining in regulation but the Gaels answered with a 7-0 run to cut the deficit back to one.

Jock Landale scored inside to put Saint Mary’s up 69-67 with 3:06 remaining. The Gaels would maintain that lead until Juwan Parker tied things back up with a free throw line jumper with just 46 seconds remaining. Saint Mary’s went back in front on the next possession as Emmett Naar drew the defense and found Landale at the rim for a dunk with 26 seconds left on the clock. After a timeout, Turtle Jackson came off a ball screen and scored at the rim with 12 seconds remaining. Naar’s desperation attempt was wide and the game went to overtime.

In the extra period, Landale continued to dominate the Bulldogs inside but Georgia was able to keep it close. The Bulldogs trailed 77-76 when Crump hit a jumper from the top of the key to retake the lead. He connected with a three pointer on their next possession to push the lead to 81-77. Naar answered with a bucket at the other end to pull within two.

On Georgia’s next possession, Parker was called for an offensive foul on a drive. Saint Mary’s went right back inside to Landale who was fouled and headed to the line with a chance to tie the game. However, Landale missed the front end of the one and one and Yante Maten grabbed the rebound. Jackson sank a pair of free throws to put the Bulldogs back up four to seal the win.

Crump came into the game struggling with his shot but broke out in a big way with a team-high 17 off the bench. He finished 6-for-13 overall and was 4-of-7 from three-point range. Maten finished with 16 points and seven boards while Jackson added 15. Juwan Parker got the start at shooting guard and finished with 14 points.

Landale led Saint Mary’s with a game-high 33 points and 12 rebounds. Naar finished with 21 points and nine assists.

Georgia shot 51 percent for the game and took care of the basketball finishing with just nine turnovers. While they might feel like they let a game slip away on Friday against San Diego State, they do come out of the weekend with a resume building win over a ranked team.

The Bulldogs will be back in action next Saturday when they travel to Marquette.