Athens, Ga. — On senior night, the Georgia Bulldogs men’s basketball team delivered a wire-to-wire performance, rolling past the South Carolina Gamecocks men’s basketball team 87-68 on Saturday behind a strong showing from their bench and red-hot shooting from beyond the arc.
Jeremiah Wilkinson paced Georgia with 18 points off the bench as the Bulldogs improved to 20-9 overall and 8-8 in the Southeastern Conference. It marks the third consecutive season the program has reached the 20-win plateau.
Georgia seized control early, catching fire from 3-point range. The Bulldogs knocked down 10 of 17 attempts from deep in the first half — their most efficient long-range half of the season — and connected on six of their first eight shots from beyond the arc. That early barrage helped them carry a 48-35 advantage into the locker room.
The separation only grew after halftime. A decisive run pushed the margin to 62-40 with just over 11 minutes remaining, and South Carolina never managed to trim the deficit to single digits the rest of the afternoon.
Somtochukwu Cyril added 12 points while shooting 6-of-7 from the field. Kareem Stagg contributed 11, including 10 in the opening half to match his career best. Marcus Millender chipped in 10 points and handed out six assists in a balanced effort for the Bulldogs.
South Carolina, now 12-17 overall and 3-13 in league play, was led by Meechie Johnson’s 20 points — his 15th straight game scoring in double figures. Kobe Knox and reserve Eli Ellis each finished with 12 points, but the Gamecocks shot just 37% from the floor as a team.
With the victory, Georgia remains squarely in the postseason conversation and is currently projected as a No. 11 seed in the upcoming NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament.
Up Next:
Georgia welcomes the Alabama Crimson Tide men’s basketball team to Athens on Tuesday, while South Carolina returns home to face the Tennessee Volunteers men’s basketball team.
