Dawgs Beat The Jackets.....Again!

BASKETBALL

The Dawgs finished their non-conference schedule in a big way tonight, defeating the 20th ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in front of 6,275 raucous Stegeman Coliseum patrons. The win elevated the Dawg’s season record to 8-5 (0-0 Southeastern Conference) while dropping the Yellow Jackets to 11-3 (0-1 Atlantic Coast Conference).

“It means a lot to beat Georgia Tech and it means a lot to win a rivalry game”, said head coach Mark Fox. “It’s a big win for us in a lot of ways and I told the kids to leave the gym feeling good about themselves because they deserve to.”

Leading the way for the Dawgs was sophomore forward Trey Thompkins, who contributed 20 points and six rebounds. His mark was felt most in the second half, where he led a Dawg offensive attack with 14 points. Senior guard Ricky McPhee added 16 points, and was four of seven from beyond-the-arc. Sophomore guard Dustin Ware added 13 points, while sophomore forward Travis Leslie registered 12 points and four boards.

“We shot it well tonight, and Ricky is a great shooter”, Fox said about his senior guard. “He came in and shot a lot of shots the other day, and he probably made 80 percent. It was his last time to play against Tech, so it meant a great deal for him to play well and he did.”

Tonight’s contest marked the 186th times that these two teams have met, with Tech holding a 101-85 series lead over the Dawgs. The series was played at the Omni Arena in Atlanta for 14 straight years but returned to the home campus sites for the 1995-1996 season. Since then, the home team has won each year except for a 75-70 Dawg win at Georgia Tech in 2000. The Yellow Jackets last defeated the Dawgs in Athens on November 26th, 1976, in a 64-43 outcome.
The Dawgs came out firing against Tech with two Ricky McPhee three-pointers representing their first six offensive points on their way to a 31-26 halftime lead. The game, which was close throughout, saw nine lead changes and seven tied scores.

Next up for the Dawgs are the 3rd ranked Kentucky Wildcats this Saturday in Lexington, Ky. The game tips at 4:00 PM and can be heard on the Georgia Bulldogs Radio Network.