ATHENS — Georgia basketball coach Mike White made a change to his starting lineup for the first time all season on Tuesday night.
Mired in the midst of a four-game losing streak, White swapped in Dakota Leffew for Tyrin Lawrence.
Given the way the Bulldogs responded in a 71-60 win over South Carolina, it’s clear the move worked.
Georgia (15-6, 3-5 in SEC play) started the game on a 14-3 run, leading wire-to-wire over the Gamecocks (10-11, 0-8). Leffew, in his first career start for the Bulldogs, finished with 14 points and a team-high four assists. He was also a team-best +17 on the night.
Sophomore wing Dylan James added 10 points off the bench, to go along with five rebounds. In the previous seven SEC games, James had just 10 points total.
James himself went on an 8-0 run in the first half to push Georgia’s lead from three points to 11. In that span, James banked in a 3-point shot and then grabbed an offensive rebound to lead to an and-1 basket.
“Yeah, it’s something I’ve been working towards,” James said after the win. “But I just went out here and played as hard as I can. I don’t wanna be worried about scoring or anything like that. My teammates trust me, my coach trusts me, and my coaches trust me. And I just went out and did what I do.”
Georgia was able to end the half on a 17-5 run to carry a 35-21 lead into halftime. South Carolina only cut it to single digits with 1:09 remaining in the game, while Georgia’s largest lead ballooned to 16.
Freshman Asa Newell was his usual outstanding self, as he finished with 17 points and a team-high 10 rebounds to go along with three blocks. Newell continues to look like an NBA player, using his athleticism to make a number of difficult plays seem easy.
He even stepped out to knock down a 3-pointer in the second half to give Georgia a 58-45 lead. His next basket was a thunderous dunk that really ignited the Stegeman Coliseum crowd. Leffew assisted on the dunk.
“We just needed to put wood in the fire, and that’s what we did tonight,” Newell said. “We just gotta be more hungry, and I feel like we’re getting our swagger back, our confidence is back. Guys are shooting the ball without something in the back of their mind. And like we said, this was a must-win to get the ball rolling.”
Georgia also saw Silas Demary Jr. reach double figures, as the sophomore guard finished with 12 points on the evening while adding four rebounds and equaling Leffew’s four assists.
White’s team got back into the win column in large part due to its defensive effort. The Bulldogs forced South Carolina to shoot just 24% from 3-point range and the Gamecocks finished with 17 turnovers.
After a rough couple of 3-point shooting efforts, the Bulldogs made 7 of their 15 attempts Tuesday, good for 47%. The 7 made 3-pointers tied Georgia’s season-high in SEC play and it was the best percentage the Bulldogs have shot from deep in conference play.
The Bulldogs next go on the road, as they face No. 4 Alabama on Saturday. The game is set for a 4 p.m. ET start, with ESPN2 broadcasting the game.
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