UGA Basketball
Bulldogs defeat No. 17 Sooners, 72-62

ATHENS, Ga. — The Georgia Bulldogs (14-2, 2-1 SEC) defeated the No. 17 Oklahoma Sooner (13-3, 0-3 SEC), 72-62, on Saturday night at a sold-out Stegeman Coliseum. Three scorers reached double figures led by freshman forward Asa Newell and graduate guard Dakota Leffew’s 15 points apiece on the night.
Fast Facts
• After Newell and Leffew’s 15-point efforts, sophomore guard Silas Demary Jr. rounded out double-figure scoring with 10 points powered by eight free throws.
• Newell posted his 15th double-figure scoring output in 16 games and led Georgia offensively for the ninth time this season.
• With the win over Oklahoma, Georgia has recorded back-to-back wins over ranked opponents for the first time since the 2006-07 season when the Bulldogs beat Kentucky and LSU.
• Freshman center Somto Cyril was a force in the paint, recording four blocks on the night to mark his fourth game this season with four or more rejections in a game.
• Georgia held Oklahoma to its lowest point total, lowest field goal percentage and lowest three-point percentage of the entire season.
Key Quotes
“We’ve already addressed the fact that we weren’t quite as sharp, and Oklahoma’s really good – like really good,” head coach Mike White said. “They’re going to continue to win a bunch. They do a fantastic job, and again, they didn’t shoot it great. Our detail was good. Our mental toughness was very good. We were locked in the other day. So again, it was the response for a young team after beating number six. It was pretty good; it needs to be great. Coming into this week, it’s got to be great. If that were to happen [being ranked], I’d be happy for our fans. I don’t really care. I want to reach our potential and reach our ceiling and continue to get better and prepare well for this next one. If it happens or it doesn’t happen, we’re still going to talk about how we handle today’s success.”
Up Next
The Bulldogs will go on the road where they will face No. 1 Tennessee on Wednesday, Jan. 15 with tipoff set at 8 p.m. ET at the Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center. The game will be televised on SEC Network.
POST-GAME NOTES
• With tonight’s result, the Bulldogs level the all-time series against the Sooners at 1-1 (Previous: 93-90 OU win on 12/25/1987 in Honolulu, HI.).
• Starting Streak – Georgia rolled out the same starting lineup for the 16th consecutive game with Cain, Demary Jr., Lawrence, Godfrey and Newell.
• Back to Back – With the win, the Bulldogs have beaten ranked opponents in consecutive games for the first time since the 2006/07 season when Dennis Smith’s side grabbed an 78-69 overtime win over No. 25 Kentucky (1/24/07) followed by a 57-54 decision over No. 21 LSU (1/28/07).
• Super Silas – Demary Jr. scored 10 points, along with eight boards (tying season high), four assists and three steals – all team highs.
• Stopping the Sooners – The Bulldogs helds Oklahoma to its lowest point total, field goal percentage and three-point percentage on the season.
• Surreal Cyril – Freshman Somto Cyril recorded four or more blocks in a game – four tonight – for the fourth time this season.
• Big on Boards – Georgia out-rebounded its opponents for the 14th time this season after besting the Sooners 40-32 off the glass.
POST-GAME QUOTES
Georgia Head Coach Mike White
On the team handling success and possibly being ranked…
“We’ve already addressed the fact that we weren’t quite as sharp, and Oklahoma’s really good – like really good. They’re going to continue to win a bunch. They do a fantastic job, and again, they didn’t shoot it great. Our detail was good. Our mental toughness was very good. We were locked in the other day. So again, it was the response for a young team after beating number six. It was pretty good; it needs to be great. Coming into this week, it’s got to be great. If that were to happen, I’d be happy for our fans. I don’t really care. I want to reach our potential and reach our ceiling and continue to get better and prepare well for this next one. If it happens or it doesn’t happen, we’re still going to talk about how we handle today’s success.”
On how big the win is in a conference like the SEC…
“They’re all huge. And I say they’re all, like there’s going to be a bunch, who knows how many we can get and how many some of these other teams win. It’s just great opportunities, but every one of them is just going to be a war. And you have to appreciate the wins that you do get. We appreciate the home court advantage that we had tonight, and we have to work on our force moving forward.”
On Silas Demary Jr.’s command of the offense…
“He was terrific. He was, to me, the best player on the floor tonight. Toughness, stability, maturity, and a lot of stuff that he brings to this team and this program right now, and I hope he can continue to grow in this role does not show up on the box score that we’re looking at. His leadership in huddles, the impactful things he’s saying in timeouts, the way he carries himself, he drew eight fouls, goes to the foul line, converts. High level defender, rebounder, turned the ball over one time. And those are things that are easier to control as opposed to, ‘man, I went one for seven. I’m in the dumps because I should be five for seven’, or what have you. You compliment the way he played, and you make a couple more shots, and we’re all sitting here talking about how elite he was. But he’s got an ability to affect the game in a big way without scoring, but he also can score.”
On Dakota Laffew’s performance…
“He’s such a steady guy. He makes, he’s done it throughout the year. We’ve got a ways to go, but he’s hit timely shots for us. He’s confident, he’s very, very even keel. The moment is the same for him in the first time he gets in there, as it is late in the game, whether we’re up, whether we’re down. He just continues to be really steady. And he’s very versatile as well, on the ball, off the ball. We can do some things with him and make some good decisions tonight.”
On what Justin Abson means to the team…
“He was a huge get for us out of the portal. I mean, we were fired up when he committed to us and we beat some good schools on him, he had really good options. And he’s one of five frontcourt players that we play, and certain nights it’s going to be certain guys opportunities. He’ll continue to grow and develop. He’s got as good a feel and basketball IQ, temperament as anyone on our team. It’s not surprising what he did offensively, and then he was able to block a shot, too, which he did a lot in the Sunbelt these last couple of years. But just a winning player, a character guy, always ready. He and Dylan [James] are a lot alike in that regard. They’re just, they’re good teammates, and when their number’s called, they’re going to do whatever they can to help their teammates.”
On the energy Somto [Cyril] brings in blocking and scoring…
“Huge, he’s such a talent in that regard. Also finishing at the rim and offensive rebounding. He’s got some areas for improvement, like all of our guys. Got off to a little bit of a slow start. I loved his mentality, his response in the second half, and even stepping up at the foul line, making a couple big free throws there late. He’s much better in the second half, which is growth for a true freshman.”
#6 | Somto Cyril | Fr. | Center
On supplying blocks late in the game…
“I mean it feels good to help your team win a game of basketball. That’s what we’ve been working for. We work every day, practice pretty much every day. We’ve been together since May. We’re prepping for success, so it feels good to see that play out.”
On the team’s halftime message…
“The coaches didn’t say anything to us, they let us handle it. This roster we have, we have great individuals. We’re really good. We know who we are. We know what we can do. We just talk to each other about how to handle the adversity, just come out and get better. It’s about a process. It’s about how we get better during the game. So, I think we talked to each other and responded pretty well.”
On Justin Abson’s performance…
“Justin is probably the smartest player I’ve ever played against in practice. He’s just different. I don’t have any way to explain to you. It’s like he’s going to find a way to make things happen and figure it out. It feels good to have him on the team. He’s a great person. Justin, when he got in the game, I was like, ‘Yeah, I trust him because I know who he is. I trust him to do the right things.’ It feels great.”
On protecting home court…
“When we play at home, when we play in Georgia, this is our home. We’re going to protect our home court every day, regardless. When you come to our home, just expect us to fight. We’re going to compete. That’s what we’ve been doing. We’ve got guys that can fight every night. It doesn’t matter who we play. So, I’m glad to be part of this team, and I’m looking forward to what we’ve got in the future.”
#14 | Asa Newell | Fr. | Forward
On defeating another top 25 opponent…
“This team really handles adversity well, just like last game. We practice all the time. We had to come back when we were down three or four in our four-minute games, but this team continues to strive and push through adversity, and we’re just all very connected right now.”
On finishing at the rim…
“Yeah, it’s just my motor. It is just playing really hard and really strong. That’s something I get from my brother, Jaden. Seeing him go so hard, you know, watching him play growing up. So, I just get it from my brother, just playing so hard.”
On winning back-to-back games against top 20 ranked opponents…
“Yeah, we’re just trusting the process. We don’t want to get too high or get too low. We’re trying to just raise the standard at Georgia basketball. So, we’re just working every single day. Our biggest thing is growth. So, did we grow tonight? Are we trusting the process? The answer is yes, and it just showed.”
On protecting the home court…
“Yeah, the Steg is rocking. Taking down two top 10 or two top 25 teams is amazing. The crowd, we couldn’t have done it without the crowd. They’re always there for us. Creating a home court advantage is something that’s super important to us as a team. Just going out there and keeping the standard up is something that we need to do every time we take home court.”
Oklahoma Head Coach Porter Moser
On his team’s performance…
“We withstood that barrage of the opening with this atmosphere and settled down and took a lead. And that was all by toughness. I thought the first few minutes we were kind of on eggshells defensively. When we got into a rhythm defensively, we created a lot of offense with our defense.”
On the performance of Mohamed Wague…
“His energy level. When he was on the floor, he just had such an energy about himself. He was rolling fast, he did a lot of really good things for us. I thought he gave us a huge lift.”
On Jeremiah Fears’ play against Georgia…
“I think he’s pressing. He wants to do so well right now and he’s kind of going through it. Nobody is taking it harder than him. But he has to remember he should be a senior in high school. He’s getting thrown into the No. 1 historic basketball league in the country.”
