Bulldogs earn first road win of season against Ole Miss

ATHENS, Ga. — The University of Georgia men’s basketball team picked up its first win on the road this year with a 62-58 victory over Ole Miss before 6,117 spectators at the Sandy and John Black Pavilion on Saturday afternoon.

Junior Kario Oquendo led all scorers with 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field and a trio of 3-pointers. Senior Terry Roberts trailed closely behind, earning 14 points, seven rebounds and five assists. The Bulldogs (13-4, 3-1 SEC) finished the game with an eight-point scoring run to defeat the Rebels (8-9, 0-5 SEC) in a game that saw 20 lead changes and five ties.

The entire game saw the two teams trading baskets and neither team held more than a six-point lead. Roberts picked up the first bucket of the day for Georgia off a layup, with Braelen Bridges following him shortly after, who finished with eight points.
After holding a small lead for much of the first half, the Bulldogs found themselves down a point with just over eight minutes to go in the half after Ole Miss’ Matthew Murrell converted an and-one layup. Mardrez McBride swiftly responded for Georgia, though, putting in one of the two made 3-pointers for the Red and Black in the opening half.

Georgia ended the first half leading narrowly, 30-29. Roberts and Justin Hill helped to put the Bulldogs in front, picking up eight points, two rebounds and three assists and six points on four free throws respectively.

Ole Miss opened the second half on an eight-point run including a pair of threes that allowed it to jump out to a 38-32 lead just four minutes after the break. Oquendo responded with a long ball of his own to cut the deficit to three after Roberts found him.

The Bulldogs’ final run to put away the Rebels was an 8-0 run by Oquendo. The guard converted a layup and two treys to turn a 56-52 deficit into a 60-56 lead with just over a minute remaining. Despite a bucket from Ole Miss, the Bulldogs sank the final two free throws of the afternoon to earn its first win in a hostile environment this season.

Georgia continues its SEC road trip this Tuesday, Jan. 17 at 9 p.m. ET against the Kentucky Wildcats inside of Rupp Arena in Lexington.

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