Athens, GA- Football has been at the forefront of everyone's mind in Georgia for the last few months. The University of Georgia's basketball team decided to make some noise on Wednesday when they hosted No. 18 Memphis (5-2).
Jabri Abdur-Rahim's three-pointer with less than two minutes remaining gave Georgia (3-5) the lead, and they snapped their four-game losing streak in their 82-79 victory over Memphis.
The three-pointer by Abdur-Rahim gave Georgia a 78-77 lead over Memphis, who held the lead for much of the second half. Abdur-Rahim finished with 15 points off the bench.
The big three-pointer was followed by a steal and jam by Kario Oquendo to extend the lead to three. Oquendo led the way for Georgia with 24 points and four rebounds.
Memphis had a chance to send the game to overtime as they trailed by just three with 4.5 seconds remaining. Emoni Bates heaved up a shot from near halfcourt that bounced off the rim and Georgia held on. Bates finished with 11 points.
Landers Nolley II led the way on offense for Memphis with 17 points.
Wednesday's win gives Georgia head coach Tom Crean 400 career wins, it could not have come at a better time.
'Dogs Get Big Win
Coming into Wednesday's contest, Memphis was thought to be the heavy favorites as they looked to bounce back from their loss to Iowa State last week. Georgia also found themselves as losers of four straight.
They were able to rally behind a rocking home crowd to get the big upset victory. They got big performances from Oquendo, Abdur-Rahim, and Christian Wright. Wright finished with 17 points and six rebounds. Jailyn Ingram and Braelen Bridges also finished with 10 points for Georgia.
They made nearly half their shots, finishing 48% from the field. Both teams shot 7/20 from deep on the night.
Their hot shooting made up for their poor rebounding. Memphis held a 32-26 advantage in that department.
A big reason for their rally was their ability to clean up sloppy first-half play. After turning the ball over 11 times in the first half, they committed just two turnovers in the second half.
Memphis Blues
Coming into the season Memphis was considered a real contender. Now on December first, they find themselves losers of two straight early-season contests.
Five of the eight players who saw the court on Wednesday finished with double-digit scoring nights. Nolley II (17), Lester Quinones (12), DeAndre Williams (11), Bates (11), Jalen Duran (11), and Alex Lomax (14).
Superstar freshman Emoni Bates did not seem scared of the spotlight as he stepped up and made a few big buckets late. Memphis could not capitalize on their advantages though and a scrappy Georgia team was able to steal a win.
What's Next?
Memphis will look to bounce back on Saturday at Ole Miss (5-2).
Georgia will take on Jacksonville (3-2) Tuesday at home.
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