UGA plays at home against No. 14 Auburn in search of an upset.
During the first seven and a half minutes of their time at Vanderbilt, the Dawgs outscored the Commodores 19-7 and never looked back. UGA won 76-64, dominating the remainder of the game by a double-digit margin. Noah Thomasson, a graduate student guard, scored 17 points to lead the offensive scoring effort. Three Bulldogs score more than ten points per game on average, including Thomasson. He is level with senior Jabari Abdur-Rahim; they have combined for 330 points this season, averaging 12.7 points per game. The other Bulldog, junior guard R.J. Melendez, averages 10.2 points per game. During conference play, UGA is one of three SEC teams with a higher offensive output; five Bulldogs, including Thomasson and Melendez, have raised theirAthens, GA – The Georgia Bulldogs will host the No. 14 Auburn Tigers tonight at 6 PM EST. The Bulldogs, who are 15-11 overall and 5-8 in the SEC, won their first game since late January last Wednesday against Vanderbilt. The Tigers, on the other hand, are 20-6 overall and 9-4 in the conference after losing to No. 17 (No. 22 when the two teams met) Kentucky last Saturday.With two Tigers averaging in double figures, Auburn is averaging 82.2 points per game. With an average of 16.1 points per game and a field goal percentage of 54.6%, junior Johni Broome leads the Tigers. His average is followed by senior forward Jaylin Williams, who scores 13.0 points per game. In addition, Broome is the team’s best defensive player; the 6’10” forward averages 2.4 blocks and 8.5 rebounds per game. Williams trails Broome once more, but this time around she leads in rebounds (4.7) per game. White responded, “His touch, his hands, his confidence level, his swagger,” when questioned about Broome’s influence. He’s an All-American, and “they make excellent use of him.” A key part of the Bulldog defense has been played by graduate student center Russell Tchewa. Tchewa averages 6.7 rebounds per game, which leads the squad.
The Bulldogs were able to snap a six-game losing streak that had been going since late January with their victory over Vanderbilt. With the victory, the Dawgs’ record under Mike White now stands at 25-1 when they limit their opponents to fewer than 70 points. As they did for the Vanderbilt game, White says they are approaching the Auburn game with the “same approach,” and he hopes “the Dawgs can put 40 together at home and capitalize down the stretch.” For UGA, a victory over a highly regarded opponent at home “would be incredible,” according to White, and it would be crucial to the team’s overall momentum for the remainder of the season.
