When the game is on the line, that’s when your veteran guards are expected to step up.
On Friday night at Stegeman Coliseum, that’s just what Noah Thomasson and Justin Hill did to carry Georgia past visiting Winthrop, 78-69.
Hill, who finished with a season-high 24 points, was particularly impressive.
The transfer from Niagara tallied eight points over the final 1:49, with Hill keeping the game under control from the point before hitting a pair of free throws to account for the final score.
“You certainly didn’t learn how to put an opponent away, but it did give an opportunity for our veteran guys to be able to step up and make some plays down the stretch and make some winning plays offensively,” head coach Mike White said. “They put some game pressure on us for sure, but to see Noah step up the way he did, along with Justin Hill in the backcourt. Hopefully, it gave those guys an opportunity to gain some confidence in knowing they can hit some big shots down the stretch.
Georgia had a six-point lead when Thomasson hit his fifth and final three (on seven attempts), pushing the margin to nine, a lead the Bulldogs were able to maintain the rest of the game.
“It’s fun to watch him work sometimes,” said Hill, who finished second on the team with 13 points. “Especially on this stage. I’m happy for him.”
So was White.
“It’s nice to have Noah Thomasson on your team,” White said. “He needs to make good decisions; he got other guys some shots, too. We didn’t shoot it particularly well, or his assist number might have been better, but again, he was plus-14, so he had a good game.”
Georgia also had a better night on the boards. By outrebounding Winthrop 39-33, it marked the first time the Bulldogs have held the edge on the boards in six games.
“Our game play was to out-rebound them, and that’s what we came ready to do,” said center Russel Tchewa, who pulled down eight on the night. “That’s what gave us the chance to win tonight.”
White liked what he saw, especially on the offensive glass, where Georgia pulled down a season-high 12 boards.
“We did it by committee. Russ was really productive on the glass, M-A (Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe) was really productive (six offensive boards). I thought Frank Anselem-Ibe played with a lot of energy, although it didn’t show up quite as much in the rebounding department,” White said. “But we’ve got to continue getting better in that area as well.”
Leading 36-29 at the half, the Bulldogs (3-3) seemed on their way to roll to an easy win. But after four straight points by Anselem-Ibe built the Bulldogs a 15-point lead at the 15-minute mark in the second half, the Eagles scratched their way back into the game.
Winthrop almost fought all the way back, cutting the lead to four, and had a chance to draw within one had the Eagles not missed a three-pointer with just over eight minutes to play. That would be as close as Winthrop would come.
Although the Eagles would again make it a two-possession game, again the Bulldogs were able to respond, ultimately pushing the lead back to nine.
It was an up-and-down first half for the Bulldogs.
After leading by 11 early, Winthrop answered with a 15-2 run to go up by four on a three-pointer by Noah Van Bigger with eight minutes to go in the first half before Georgia’s shots finally began to fall.
Back-to-back three-pointers by Thomasson and Jabri Abdur-Rahim highlighted a 20-6 run down the final 6:50 of the half and sparked Georgia to a 36-29 halftime lead.
