Mike White and the Georgia Bulldogs picked up a big early season win, knocking off No. 22 St. John’s 66-63 in The Bahamas on Sunday.
The win moves Georgia to 6-1 on the season, giving White a signature early-season win over Rick Pitino’s St. John’s squad.
“It was a really emotional game, but we didn’t allow ourselves to be overly emotional,” White said after the win. “We played with a lot of maturity, especially for our age as a team. Couldn’t be more proud of the effort. St. John’s is really good. They play extremely hard, defend you, turn you over. They got a ton of tips, of course. Their press was incredibly effective, best pressing coach, of course, in the history of the game. We’ve got to continue to work in some of those areas, but it’s a really big win for this team and for this program.”
It was a nervy finish for the Bulldogs, as the game went back and forth in the closing stages. The Bulldogs held a 32-28 lead going into halftime.
Georgia went on a 10-0 run after falling down 47-44 to take a 54-47 lead with 6:56 remaining.
But fouls became an issue for the Bulldogs, and Georgia had to turn to its bench. Asa Newell picked up his fourth foul with 6:08 remaining. At that time, Georgia led 54-49.
St. John’s immediately tied the game on back-to-back possession sandwiched between a Georgia turnover off an inbound. The Bulldogs had a season-worst 24 turnovers, struggling with St. John’s press.
Newell returned to the game with 4:13 remaining and the score tied at 54. Newell would foul out with 3:06 remaining. He led Georgia in scoring with 18 points and chipped in 5 rebounds.
Georgia also saw Blue Cain and RJ Godfrey foul out of the game as well. While St. John’s shot only 2 of 19 from 3-point range, it did make 23 of 28 free throw attempts.
With 1:59 remaining Silas Demary Jr. hit a driving layup to give Georgia a 58-57 lead. Demary had 15 points and 4 rebounds, but a ghastly 10 turnovers for Georgia.
Dylan James had a block on the ensuing possession and then converted a putback and-1 with 1:03 remaining to give Georgia a 61-57 lead. St. John’s was able to trim the lead to 62-60 but Tyrin Lawrence and Demary made their free throws to seal the win for Georgia. Lawrence added 11 points and 9 rebounds.
Georgia shot 49 percent from the field and made 5 of its 12 3-point attempts. Georgia knocked down 13 of its 16 field goal attempts, while forcing 15 turnovers defensively.
“They deserved the victory in the end,” Pitino said of Georgia.
This was Georgia’s first win over a ranked opponent since beating No. 22 Auburn in January of 2023. Georgia lost 80-69 to No. 15 Marquette in the Bahamas on Saturday, which was its first defeat of the season.
Georgia next returns to action on Saturday, when the Bulldogs host Jacksonville. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. ET tip in Athens.
