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Georgia topples No. 3 Florida 88-83 despite late Gator surge

On3 imageby:Jake Rowe•about 14 hours•

JakeMRowe

Georgia Basketball Silas Demary
Feb 25, 2025; Athens, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs guard Silas Demary Jr. (5) controls the ball against Florida Gators guard Alijah Martin (15) during the first half at Stegeman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia needs all the wins it can get in its pursuit of its first NCAA Tournament birth since 2015 and it got an improbable one on Tuesday. The Bulldogs took down No. 3 Florida XXX inside Stegemen Coliseum after blowing a 16-point halftime lead.

Silas Demary led the Bulldogs with 21 points and three rebounds. Asa Newell had 15 points and 9 rebounds while Blue Cain came up huge late, reaching double digits with a three ball that put Georgia up 81-80 with 47 seconds left in the game. He finished with 12 points and six rebounds.

Georgia was on fire to start the game, jumping out to 10 point lead in the first five minutes of the game. That lead grew to as much as 26 points with 7:36 left to play in the first half. That’s when the Gators, led by Will Richard’s 30-point night, went on run.

They cut the Georgia lead to just 13 points within moments and it looked like the Bulldogs might limp into the half. UGA mounted a quick response and pushed the lead north of 20 once again and took a 16-point advantage into the half.

Despite cooling down considerably in the second half, Georgia was able to keep the Gators at arm’s length most of the way. Florida made it’s move with just under five minutes to play, going on a 12-0 run to take an 80-78 lead.

Coming out of a timeout with approximately a minute left, Mike White had a conversation with Cain before sending him in. The Bulldogs ran a play designed to get him an open look from the wing and the sophomore guard knocked it down. It gave Georgia a lead that it would never relinquish.

Next up for Georgia is a weekend matchup at Texas. The Bulldogs and Longhorns will clash at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday on ESPN2.

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