Through this early stage of the season, Georgia’s basketball team has shown it can win games in different ways.

Even on nights when the shots are not falling, the Bulldogs’ effort and athleticism have already allowed them to win games they might otherwise not.

When the shots do fall like they did, with Georgia (7-1) hitting a season-high 14 three-pointers as it did in Saturday night’s 102-56 rout of Jacksonville (4-4), the Bulldogs show how dangerous they can potentially be.

“Just being able to make perimeter shots, it just opens up a lot, makes it easy to get into the paint, drive it, kick it, and share it,” said Tyrin Lawrence, one of six Bulldogs in double-figures with 14 points. “Tonight, a lot of them went in, and you saw the result.”

That’s particularly true when players not known for their offensive prowess start chipping in, as was the case with Somto Cyril and Dylan James.

The freshman Cyril poured in a career-best 13 points, while James scored 13 points with all four field goals good for 3-pointers.

“I'll say it helped my confidence, but, you know, I've just been working on my shot and waiting for the opportunity to show it off,” James said. “Tonight, they left me open, so I got the opportunity.”

The numbers were impressive.

Georgia’s 66.7 percent effort from the field (36 of 54) was easily its highest percentage of the young season, besting the 53.4 percent (31 of 58) in the team’s 90-77 win over North Florida on November 15.

Equally as impressive was Georgia’s 24-12 assist-to-turnover ratio, an area that pleased head coach Mike White.

“The assist-turnover ratio, the way the ball moved, the extra passes, the shot selection, the unselfishness, the connection offensively was at an all-time high,” White said. “Jacksonville put us in those scenarios with their aggressive pressure and hedging and trapping of ball screens and other stuff too.”

The effort was aided greatly by Dakota Leffew, who besides scoring a team-high 16 points enjoyed an 8-0 assist to turnover ratio.

It was also a better night for Silas Demary Jr. After turning the ball over 18 times last weekend against Marquette and St. John’s, Demary Jr., only turned the ball over one time against Jacksonville, which beat ACC member Virginia Tech 74-64 on November 20.

After combining for just six points over the game’s first four minutes, Georgia shooters caught fire.

Four straight 3-pointers – one each by Lawrence, Blue Cain, Leffew and James – sparked a 15-0 run that took just three minutes to achieve, sending the Bulldogs out to a 17-2 lead.

That was just the beginning.

Georgia’s first half saw the Bulldogs miss just eight of their 24 shots, with eight going for three points.

The Bulldogs made it look easy, pushing their lead to as many as 29 points.

What Georgia wasn’t converting from the perimeter, Cyril was taking care of in the paint. All four of the freshman’s first-half buckets came on slams as the 53 points represented the most in a half by Georgia this year.

“I mean they went to Virginia Tech and won. They missed a couple early for us. We made a few early,” White said. “That's (score) not indicative of how good they are. I think they're going to be super competitive in their league. And then obviously when you go 14 of 24 from three, you can beat a lot of people. Hopefully, we've got a couple more of those in us this season.”

Georgia returns to action on Tuesday when the Bulldogs host Notre Dame.

Boxscore

· Georgia scored the most points under Mike White.

· The game marked 9th time since the beginning of the 2000-01 season with 100 or more points.

· 46-margin of victory (2nd time this season with a +40 win (first time since 2006-07 with multiple 40+ point wins).

· Tied for 2nd highest FG pct in a game (66.7) in the 2000s. (70.2 FG pct in 2001 vs Mississippi State and 66.7 FG pct in 2019 vs Texas).

· The 14 3-pt FG made (tied for most under White – 4th time with 14).· Georgia became the first SEC team this season with a 60-plus field goal percentage, 50+ 3-pt field goal and 70+ free throw percentage. (The last time that Georgia did it was Feb 2, 2022, at Texas A&M).

· Dakota Leffew became the first UGA player with 16+ pts, 8+ assists, and 4+ 3-point field goals since J.J. Frazier vs Baylor.

· Silas Demary Jr had his 2nd game this season with 3+ steals and 7th ofhis career.

·Asa Newell marked his 5th straight game with multiple steals.