Dawgs Top Falcons

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Gerald Robinson scored 15 points that included six key free throws in the final 80 seconds as Georgia nudged past Bowling Green 63-54 in its first game of the Progressive CBE Classic here Sunday night.

The Dawgs (2-0) led this game throughout but were never able to take firm command. Their largest lead came three times at 14 points, the last of which came at 42-28 on a jumper by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope with 15:35 left.

Bowling Green, however, took advantage of an extended dry spell by Georgia to close its gap considerably. The Falcons pulled within five at 48-43 on a jumper by Dee Brown with 7:17 left. Then, after Georgia had responded to boost its lead by to 10, they rallied again, getting within five on a 3-point play by Brown that cut the margin to 53-48 with 2:49 remaining.

From there, Georgia seniors Robinson and Dustin Ware helped to save the day for the Dawgs. A steal by Ware thwarted the Falcons’ next possession, and the duo then scored nine of the Dawgs’ final 10 points, all from the free-throw line.

“It was a hard-fought game on both ends,” coach Mark Fox said. “It was not hard-fought enough on the backboards. That’s a great concern of ours and has been since last season. But we’ve been working to improve our rebounding and we will get better. We made some immature plays, too, but we’re an immature team. We need to grow up fast.”

Bowling Green dominated Georgia in the rebounding ledger, 43-28, including 19 offensive boards. The Falcons stayed close in the game thanks to 16 second-chance points, compared to just two for Georgia.

Brown led Bowling Green with 15 points while Caldwell-Pope contributed 11 for Georgia, his second double-figure scoring effort in as many collegiate games.

Georgia continues its run in the CBE Classic on Wednesday, when the Dawgs play host to South Dakota State at 7:00 p.m. The Dawgs will travel to Kansas City next week for the CBE Classic semifinal and final games on Nov. 21 and 22, playing Cal first and then either Notre Dame or Missouri in their second game.