Tchewa’s double-double leads Georgia past Missouri, 75-68, in SEC opener

COLUMBIA, Mo. – A dominant Russel Tchewa 18-point, 11-rebound double-double led the way as the Georgia Bulldogs defeated Missouri, 75-68, on the road to open Southeastern Conference action at Mizzou Arena on Saturday afternoon.

The victory extends the Bulldogs’ (11-3, 1-0 SEC) winning streak to nine games, marking the longest under head coach Mike White. Georgia had four players score in double figures led by Tchewa’s near-perfect double-double with 18 points as he went 5-for-5 from the field and shot 8-for-9 from the charity stripe while tallying 11 boards, notching his 10th career double-double and first with the Bulldogs. Noah Thomasson tallied 15 points with 13 coming in the first half while Justin Hill scored 16 points powered by a career-high tying four 3-pointers made. Silas Demary Jr. also reached double figures with 10 points paired with six rebounds on the day.

The opening stages of the first half saw both squads exchange strong offensive possessions as the Bulldogs led 12-10 at the first media timeout. Nearing the midway point of the first half, Georgia hopped on a 16-0 run sparked by eight points and back-to-back 3-pointers from Thomasson to extend its lead to 35-18. Despite a late run by the Tigers, the Bulldogs kept a 40-38 lead heading into the locker room. After a back-and-forth battle throughout the second half that saw Missouri pick up its first lead of the game, Georgia continued to respond as the score reached 63-63 with just under five minutes left. A late 6-0 run gave the Bulldogs some breathing room as they outscored the Tigers 12-5 to close out the game and open SEC play in the win column.

Georgia will return to Athens for its first home conference game of the season when it hosts Arkansas on Jan. 10 at 9 p.m. ET, which will be televised on ESPN U. The Bulldogs are 14-26 versus the Razorbacks all time and hold a 9-7 record when both programs meet at Stegeman Coliseum.

Five Fast Facts
• Russel Tchewa became the second Georgia player in the 2000s to record a double-double and shoot perfect from the field (minimum five attempts) since Braelen Bridges last season against Missouri.
• Russel Tchewa recorded his 10th career double-double and first as a Bulldog.
• Justin Hill matched his career-high with four 3-pointers made (4 vs Gardner-Webb on Feb 11, 2021 (playing for Longwood).
• Georgia’s 12 made 3-pointers against Missouri is the most in a single game this season and the third-most by the Bulldogs in the Mike White era.
• Georgia has started 1-0 in conference play in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons.

Key Quote
Head Coach Mike White: “We can only look back on it here for about an hour and then we’re on to Arkansas. We’ve got 17 more of these, and there will be wars. It’s a marathon. From the foul line, especially late, we converted at a pretty high rate. I thought we hit some timely threes where if two or three of them don’t go, we could’ve been in trouble and the game could’ve gone the other way. I though down the stretch defensively, we were pretty sharp. Our communication was at an all-time high in those 40 [minutes] of course, and then the bench scoring continues to help us.”

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