Jabri Abdur-Rahim has seen a lot in his three seasons as a member of Georgia’s basketball team. Much of it has not been good.

So, it’s quite understandable why the senior was all smiles after Georgia held on to defeat Wake Forest Friday night at Stegeman Coliseum, 80-77.

“This was huge. We didn’t want to go 0-2 and we didn’t want to do it in front of our fans,” Abdur-Rahim said. “Beating a team like that shows how good we can be. We felt we were that good. We just had to put it on display for everyone to see.”

Abdur-Rahim was a big reason the Bulldogs (1-1) were successful.

After scoring 18 points in Monday’s opening loss to Oregon, the New Jersey native tallied 17 against the Demon Deacons (1-1).

He wasn’t alone.

Transfer Noah Thomasson led Georgia with 21 points, while three other players—Russel Tchewa, Silas Demary Jr., and RJ Melendez—also finished in double-figures with 11, 10, and 10 points, respectively.

“This was a big-time win. Wake Forest is going to be in the upper half of the ACC, which is one of the best leagues in the country,” Thomasson said. “It’s kind of like a starting point for us. We see what we can be when we’re connected, when we’re tough, and when we’re sharing the ball. Who knows what can happen when we play like that?”

Georgia needed to keep its wits to hold onto the victory.

After Georgia led by 13 with 7:34 left, Wake Forest rallied to draw within two at 76-74 with 4:48 to play.

That was as close as the Demon Deacons would get.

The Bulldogs pushed the margin to eight, 80-72, and managed to hold onto the victory despite not scoring in the final 2:11 of play.

Wake Forest would have two opportunities to tie the game in the final 20 seconds but missed a pair of threes, including an off-balance attempt by Cameron Hildreth just before the buzzer.

“We’ve got to learn how to win. I’m glad we won, but again, there’s a lot to learn that could have gone the other way,” head coach Mike White said. “So, we’re fortunate. Of course, I’d rather learn this way than have it go the other way, but to make sure you hold onto leads like that down the stretch, we’re going to have to fix that level of urgency. We’re going to learn how to put 40 together.”

Wake Forest, which beat Alabama in an exhibition 88-80 before routing Elon 101-78 in its season opener, placed four players in double figures, led by guard Kevin Miller with 22.

“That was a good win, are you kidding me?” White said. “Wake Forest is a good program, Coach (Steve) Forbes and his staff do a great job. They just kept coming. They played with great poise from double figures. I’m just glad it ended while we were on top.”

After Georgia jumped out to a quick 9-3 lead, the Demon Deacons rallied, eventually hitting four straight three-pointers to go up 22-20 with 9:13 left to go in the first half.

Wake Forest wasn’t done.

The margin grew to eight on a three-pointer by Marquis Marion, before Abdur-Rahim took over for the Bulldogs.

The senior scored eight straight points, including a pair of threes, as Georgia went on a 10-2 run and ultimately went into halftime with a 40-36 lead.

Thomasson credited the fans for helping give the team the spark it needed to win.

“The fans were crazy,” Thomasson said. “They’re our sixth man, and we’re going to need them to win some big games here.”

Boxscore

• As expected, transfer R.J. Sunahara (knee) did not dress out. He did seem to be walking without any issue, however, and he was not wearing a brace.

Freshman Mari Jordan also did not dress out.

• Georgia turned the ball over just four times in the first half.

• Abdur-Rahim reached double-digit points for the 21st time in his career, also making three 3-pointers for the second-straight game.

• Demary Jr. hit double-digit points in the contest, marking the first time he has reached the figure in his collegiate career.

• Georgia is the only Power Conference team in the nation to open the season with back-to-back games against Power Conference opponents.

• Georgia improves to 55-6 all-time in home openers at Stegeman Coliseum. This season is the first time since 2017 that the Bulldogs’ first home game wasn’t also their initial contest of the season.

• Georgia now holds a 5-3 record in the team’s series against Wake Forest. This marks the first of four Atlantic Coast Conference teams the Bulldogs will play during the non-conference slate – Miami (Nov. 17), Florida State (Nov. 29), and Georgia Tech (Dec. 5).

Georgia returns to action Sunday at 5:00 pm ET against North Carolina Central.

The Bulldogs then head for the Bahamas where they will play Miami on Nov. 17, and either Providence or Kansas State on Nov. 19

The Bulldogs then return home on Nov. 24 against Winthrop.