UGA Basketball Continues To Roll- Defeats Buffalo 100-49
ATHENS - Read the latest news and notes from Georgia’s dominant 100-49 win over Buffalo.
Tonight’s game marks the third meeting between the two programs with the Bulldogs now holding a 3-0 series edge.
Starting Streak - Georgia rolled out the same starting five for the 11th consecutive game with Cain, Demary Jr., Lawrence, Godfrey, and Newell.
Let It Rain - The Bulldogs made 14 three-pointers, tying the most-made shots from behind the arc under Mike White. Georgia hit five three-pointers last time out against Grand Canyon - the Bulldogs made five three-pointers in the first seven minutes of play tonight.
Dominant De’Shayne - De’Shayne Montgomery recorded 16 points in his first outing for Georgia, starting the game 5-5 from the field.
First We Feast - All five starters for the Bulldogs made a field goal before a single Bulls player recorded a field goal tonight.
Sneaky Steals - Blue Cain grabbed four steals in the win tying his career-high (Missouri - 2024 SEC Tournament) and marking his highest season total.
Major Margins - The 51-point win marks the largest margin of victory under head coach Mike White.
QUOTES:
Georgia Head Coach Mike White
On the win...
“Best start we’ve gotten off to. Offensively and defensively, we were really sharp looked like a really good team early on. Played a really solid 20. I thought we got off to a decent start offensively in the second half, not quite the same level of sharpness, but I thought we finished pretty strong in the last 10. It’s just probably as close as we’ve gotten to putting 40 together against the defense, you know obviously that’s very different than some of the defenses that we played. Not as disruptive and they packed it in and they forced us to shoot threes which we did and you know, thank goodness we made 14 of them. But that lack of pressure allowed us to really settle in and just play slower. Having our minds slow down a little bit, make simple plays and a team that’s struggled really badly with turnovers to this point to get 24 assists to five turnovers tonight was huge. Looking down at the stat sheet, that’s what I’m happiest about. 24 to 5. Boy if you did that every game, you’d be hard to beat wouldn’t you.”
On cleaning up turnovers offensively...
“Just really good decisions and you know, you’re up, got a sizable lead against a mid-major team and one of my favorite things about this team is you just didn’t see a guy go rogue and say, ‘it’s my turn to go get a basket.’ I’m sure you guys saw the same thing, we just continued to share it and move it and take what the defense gave us. Got a really selfless group, we’ve got to continue to maintain that of course, but yeah, I just liked our offensive flow and liked a lot of things we did defensively as well. Boy it’s great to have the De’Shayne Montgomery out there flying around making plays. I’ve said it for months, he plays with crazy energy, plays with joy, he just he loves he loves hooping.”
On De’Shayne Montgomery...
“Really explosive and a long first step. He pushes that ball out in front of him and he takes long strides and if you take the wrong angle on him on a closeout, he’s going to get by you. It really does. I mean, you could look at our roster a couple different ways you know because Dylan James can slide over and be a backcourt guy and play one of those three spots. He’s had a lot of production though for us as well playing up front you know, so if you consider him a frontcourt guy, we’ve got five good frontcourt players. That’s what it takes to compete in this league and then if you consider him a frontcourt guy now in the backcourt with Savo, you were at five guards and now with the De’Shayne you’re at six. So, we’ve got quality depth you know we’ve got to stay healthy, we’ve got to continue to get better. I love that in our first test, again these guys, we inserted the De’Shayne, Savo played more minutes and more meaningful minutes than he’s played and really played well. It was his best game, and these guys just played together. They played the right way.”
On Silas Demary Jr...
“Three assists, one turnover, disrupted a ton defensively, couldn’t agree more. He set the tone for us early on and then even early on in the second half when we really sat down and got our defense back going. And 3-of-5 from three, he’s worked really hard. That’s more who he is as a shooter when he gets open looks. He’s going to make them. He’s worked hard at it; I was excited to see him go down.”
#2 | De’Shayne Montgomery | So. | Guard
On his performance...
It felt great sitting on the sideline, watching my teammates go to work early, nine and one. I’m just glad to join the party. I feel like I did good, personally.
On the challenge of making his first appearance...
It was hard, but I tried not to think about it. My teammates and my coaches, like everyone helped me every day, giving me confidence, making sure I’m not down. I just appreciate them for that.
On what he’ll take away from this game...
Just the win. Even though, like, you know, it was Buffalo, not a Power-5 school. We just listened to coaches message before the game. The message was just to kill, no matter what, just kill.
#6 | Somto Cyril | Fr. | Center
On De’Shayne Montgomery...
“Going to practive every day I believe in these guys. I’ve been with them for months. We practice every day, and we have joined together like a team. Every game, I believe in them. I know what we can do. We just go out there and take care of business. Do what we’re supposed to do.”
On the team’s focus...
“To be honest, I don’t really think we’re worried about SEC games. Since I’ve been here at Georgia, it’s always about growth and the process. We’re worried about the next game. Today we play today, the game is over. We’re focused on the next game. What’s in the future is going to take care of itself. We’re worried right now. We have a quick turnaround and have a game on Sunday. This group is probably the most hard-working group I’ve ever been with. When the time comes, it is going to show.”
On where he has improved the most this season...
“Just doing my job by putting it in the basket. Overall, I feel like the game has slowed down for me since I’ve been here. Just playing with confidence. There’s nothing to be scared of. So, you know, overall, my game is gradually getting there.”