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'Let's Dance?': Georgia earns win over Vanderbilt

Jeremy Johnsonby:Jeremy Johnson•about 23 hours•

JeremyO_Johnson

Georgia Basketball Mike White
Mar 4, 2025; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Mike White disputes a call against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the first half at Colonial Life Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

Athens, Ga – Georgia took another step to padding their resume to land in the NCAA Tournament in the season finale on Saturday. They also accomplished some firsts in a very long time.

The Bulldogs earned the 79-68 win over Vanderbilt in Stegeman Coliseum. It was their 20th win over the season, the first time that has happened since the 2014-2015 season.

The Bulldogs had a lot of different obstacles in the first half.

The Bulldogs went into the locker room tied with the Commodores 39-39. Georgia clinked its way to 37.5 percent shooting in the first half. They were 35.7 percent from the 3-point line and shot 71.4 percent from the free throw line. All of that took place while nursing foul trouble from key players like Asa Newell, RJ Godfrey, Somto Cyril and Silas Demary.

“I think we started the game too lackadaisical,” Tyrin Lawrence said after the game. “Coach talked to us at halftime just telling us to focus and take care of the ball.

The second half belonged to the Bulldogs. Georgia outscored Vanderbilt 40-29 over the last 20 minutes.

It was a refreshing revelation for a team that has had documented second-half struggles this season. The Bulldogs have answered the bell with their effort in their five-game winning streak.

“It was a great win in the best league in the history of college basketball,” Georgia head coach Mike White said to reporters after the game. “Vanderbilt is terrific and this was similar to a lot of the wins that we’ve had in this league. You’re begging for a stop, begging for an open look. It was two good teams getting after it. Vanderbilt is resilient, tough and physical…They’re going to be a tough out in the next couple of tournaments. We’re fortunate and I feel good about the way we played. We continue to grow and get better.”

Top Performances on Saturday

Georgia honored two seniors prior to the game on Saturday. The Bulldogs got strong performances from both of them off the bench.

Tyrin Lawrence and Dakota Laffew didn’t lead Georgia in scoring but their performances down the stretch and in the first half played a big role in Georgia’s win.

Laffew had 14 points. Lawrence put up 13 points.

Statistical Leaders

Scoring: Demary 15 points, Newell 15 points

Rebounding: Somto Cyril 7 rebounds

Big Picture: can Georgia dance?

The Bulldogs needed the win on Saturday to look to further push themselves into a position to earn their first berth into the NCAA Tournament in a decade.

The Bulldogs entered the day as a projected No. 10 seed according to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi’s ‘bracketology’.

Georgia is looking forward to the opportunities ahead of them.

“We want to trust the process and that’s what we did,” Newell said. “In non-conference and in conference we just stayed the course and the process took care of itself. We still have a lot of hard work left, but we’re going to be dancing.”

Georgia heads to Nashville for the SEC Tournament as an 11 seed. The SEC Tournament kicks off on Wednesday.

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