Georgia beats Ole Miss in defensive battle, 69-66

ATHENS, Ga. – The Georgia men’s basketball team beat Ole Miss, 69-66, in a defensive showdown before 6,219 spectators in the home finale inside Stegeman Coliseum on Tuesday evening.

Noah Thomasson led the Bulldogs (16-14, 6-11 SEC) in scoring for the fifth time in the past six games with 15 points. Russel Tchewa notched 11 points, 10 rebounds and a personal best five assists, while Dylan James recorded career-bests of 10 points and nine rebounds. Justin Hill and RJ Melendez each contributed 11 and 10 points respectively. Georgia edged Ole Miss (20-10, 7-10 SEC) in paint points by a 36-22 margin, marking the 12th time this season the Bulldogs outscored their opponent in the statistic.

Georgia jumped out to a 14-6 lead after the first seven and a half minutes before the teams’ offenses began to get going. The Bulldogs’ Thomasson and James led their first-half scoring efforts, contributing 12 and eight points respectively, as the team led 35-32 at the halftime break. Georgia opened the half with shooting struggles, going 2-of-8 from the field in the first five minutes but followed up by making eight of its next 10 attempts. The team’s lead got up to eight before the under-eight media timeout after a thunderous dunk from James. The Rebels got within two points with under a minute left after sinking a pair of free throws and knocking down a 3-pointer, but a layup from Russel Tchewa stretched the lead back out to four. The Bulldogs then forced three missed shots on the other end, clinching the team’s win.

Georgia closes out the regular season on Saturday, March 9 at 6:30 p.m. against No. 13 Auburn inside Neville Arena. The Tigers previously beat the Bulldogs inside Stegeman Coliseum on Feb. 24 by a 97-76 margin.

Five Fast Facts

• The trio of Bulldog freshmen (Silas Demary Jr., Blue Cain and Dylan James) marks the first time Georgia has started three or more first-year collegiate players since March 11, 2020, during an 83-61 win over Ole Miss in the first-round of the SEC Tournament (Anthony Edwards, Toumani Camara, Sahvir Wheeler).

• In his first collegiate start, Dylan James entered the game averaging 3.1 points per contest but recorded a new best personal best of 10 points, also contributing a career-high nine boards.

• Georgia’s success inside overcame a below-average performance from beyond the arc, with the Bulldogs shooting only 19 percent from 3-point range. That is the lowest percentage in a victory since shooting 18.2 percent in a 73-64 win over Georgia Southern on Dec. 23, 2019.

• Graduate Russel Tchewa is the first seven-footer from an SEC team to have five or more assists since 2015. Tchewa’s five assists set a new career high.

• In the only previous coaching matchup between Mike White and Chris Beard, Beard’s Texas Tech team defeated White’s Florida squad, 69-66, in the 2018 NCAA Tournament Second Round. Tonight’s result reversed the score in White’s favor.

Key Quote

Head Coach Mike White: “That was a quality SEC win after going four of 21 from three. I mean, you can win games like that. We haven’t won a lot of games like that. Especially against the power five teams, our high major opponents. To win it in that fashion is a really good teaching moment for our guys and for this program moving forward. This was the last time we got a chance to play in front of our fans here at the Steg, it has been a great environment all year.”

Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Bulldogs by following UGA Men’s Basketball on social media on Facebook, Instagram and X @UGABasketball, and the web at GeorgiaDogs.com.

POST-GAME NOTES

Team Notes

• The starting lineup was freshmen Silas Demary Jr., Blue Cain and Dylan James and graduates Noah Thomasson and Russel Tchewa.

• Tonight’s trio of Bulldog starting freshmen (Silas Demary Jr., Blue Cain and Dylan James) marks the first time Georgia has started three or more first-year collegiate players since March 11, 2020 – an 83-61 win over Ole Miss in the first round of the SEC Tournament (Anthony Edwards, Toumani Camara, Sahvir Wheeler).

• The Bulldogs now lead the SEC rivalry 78-47.

• In the only previous coaching matchup between Mike White and Chris Beard, Beard’s Texas Tech team defeated White’s Florida squad, 69-66, in the 2018 NCAA Tournament Second Round. Tonight’s result reversed the score in White’s favor.

• The Bulldogs started the first five minutes of the second half 2-of-9 from the field but bounced back by going 8-of-10 over the next seven minutes.

• Georgia held Ole Miss to 63 points, its third-lowest this season.

• For only the fourth time this season, Georgia bested its opponent in points in the paint, points off turnovers, second-chance points, and bench points. The only previous instance in SEC play came at Vanderbilt on Feb. 21.

• Georgia’s success inside overcame a below-average performance from beyond the arc, with the Bulldogs shooting only 19 percent from 3-point range. It is the lowest percentage in a victory since shooting 18.2 percent in a 73-64 win over Georgia Southern on Dec. 23, 2019.

• Georgia tallied only 10 fouls in tonight’s contest, matching the North Florida and Missouri game for the lowest total of the season.

Individual Notes

• In his first collegiate start, Dylan James entered the game averaging 3.1 points per contest but recorded a new best personal best of 10 points, also contributing a career-high nine boards.

• Graduate Russel Tchewa is the first seven-footer from an SEC team to have five or more assists since 2015. Tchewa’s five assists set a new career high.

• Noah Thomasson and Russel Tchewa are the only Bulldogs to start every game this season.

• Noah Thomasson led Georgia with 15 points, 3.2 points more than his season average.

• Russel Tchewa is the first Georgia player since Sahvir Wheeler against LSU on Feb. 23, 2021, to have at least 10 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in a single game.

POST-GAME QUOTES

GEORGIA HEAD COACH MIKE WHITE

On how the team responded this game… 

“I couldn’t agree more. That was just the message to our guys. We just won a game against a really talented, well coached team with a team that’s going to play postseason. I would imagine, right? I don’t have their numbers or their record in front of me but a really good team. Quality SEC win after going four of 21 from three. I mean, you can win games like that. We haven’t won a lot of games like that. Especially against the power five teams, our high major opponents. To win it in that fashion is a really good teaching moment, you know, for our guys and for this program moving forward. Last time we got a chance to play in front of our fans here at the Steg, it has been a great environment all year. I’m really happy we were able to thank you know, obviously when weren’t packed tonight, but the fans that came they continued to support these young men. Really happy for our three seniors, RJ Sunahara, Russel Tchewa, who played as well as he’s played all season. Noah Thomasson, who played really well again and all three of those guys made it a point to want to thank our fans right when the game was over. Their idea. Great stuff, it was a big win for us. Moving forward to be a real player in this league, you’ve got to grow your toughness, you’ve got to grow your culture to be able to win more games like this. It was a good step for us, especially bouncing back after the opposite end of the spectrum the other day.”

On Dylan James’ impact against Ole Miss and this season… 

“He came to Georgia as a high basketball IQ, skilled, step out. shooting post player. He’s developed his toughness, his motor, he’s playing more athletically, he’s learned how to play harder. He’s adjusted to this level. It’s taken a little time, as it does for every freshman in this league, especially this week, and he’s playing his best basketball at the end of his freshman year. Go again. Another example, we go four-of-21 as a team. He and Blue Cain, as two freshmen, both go 0-for-3 and 0-for-3, but played as hard as they played all season. And again, you can play quality minutes, you can play winning minutes. You can help add to a winning culture without having to make shots. I like to make shots; I like to make a bunch of them. Then you can be you can beat a bunch of people, but I’m proud of those guys’ effort.”

On the team’s approach against Ole Miss in the paint… 

“They’ve got two elite rim protectors that are very tough to score on, whether it’s your five or your one, and anyone in between. It’s our approach to attacking, their defense was a little bit different when those guys were in the game as opposed to when they play small ball. When they play small ball, they’re as difficult to guard has anyone in our league. We break the field at the five, but obviously when he’s at the five, he’s hard to defend on the other end. Offensively, we wanted to get some paint touches and Russel obviously took advantage and played really well.”

On the impact of this win as a program… 

“This time of year. Really for the most part in the middle of the season, I’m locked in on trying to beat Ole Miss. I’m locked in on an off day tomorrow. We’ll watch a ton of Auburn film and figure out how we can keep that thing competitive for a while, against a team that has got a chance to make a really big run. Finish as strong as we possibly can. We’re building, there’s no doubt in my mind. We’re going to get it done. We’re going to be even better next year. We’re better than we were a year ago. No doubt in my mind. We’ll take another jump next year. I’m not putting a time frame on anything, just trying to win each day. Do the best we can in player development, recruiting and scouting and operating at a high level. I thought our program had a good day today.”

#3 | NOAH THOMASSON | GR. | G

On closing out the win…

“It’s always big to get a home win, a big time win, especially when we don’t shoot it as well as we would have liked. Credit to Ole Miss – they’re a good team and have a lot of good players. This is a big time win for us. I’m happy for our team, but now it’s a quick turnaround for Auburn on Saturday.”

On what made this game a big win…

“It’s always good to crack through. We’ve had some tough losses. I think every loss besides a couple of them were one or two possession games. We’re learning how to win and how to make those strides. We’ve got to keep doing those things, especially in postseason play, because if we want to get some momentum and try to make a run, these games are going to be huge.”

On Dylan James’ impact on the game…

“I’m so proud of him, man. He’s stayed ready all season. He’s had some ups and downs to his freshman career – and that’s normal. As a freshman, you have those days where you play really well, and you have those days where you might not play that well. But he’s stayed ready, came in and played 25 minutes tonight, had 10 points and nine rebounds. I wanted to get him a double double, but this is big for him and gives him momentum to keep growing as a basketball player. I’m proud and happy for him.”

#13 | DYLAN JAMES | FR. | G

On starting for the first time this season…

“I’m going to be honest…I didn’t know I was starting until the 90 minute clock started running. I was surprised, but I was ready. I’m always ready, so that was a great opportunity and hopefully I can keep that going.”

On how the game will help them going into the next matchup…

“That was exactly what we were looking for, a little boost to give us some momentum. Now that we have that we’re really excited going into next weekend.”