ATHENS, GA— Keon Johnson scored a team-high 21 points, but Winthrop couldn't overcome a slow start to the game as it fell 74-64 at the University of Georgia, Tuesday evening at Stegeman Coliseum.
The Eagles, who had won back-to-back games, fall to 6-2 on the year while Georgia improves to 4-3. Winthrop will take a break for exams and be back in action on Wednesday, Dec. 16 as it travels to Tuscaloosa, AL for a 9 p.m. matchup with Alabama.
After trailing by as much as 17 in the second half, Winthrop cut the deficit to six points with 7:13 to play after a
Duby Okeke dunk. Then Okeke had a block and
Xavier Cooks boarded the rebound and dribbled up court trying to make a play. Cooks turned the ball over and William Jackson II headed down court for a layup while Okeke trailed and tried to block the shot. Jackson II moved the ball out of the way and Okeke hit the shoulder of Jackson II and an intentional foul was whistled. Jackson II made both free throws and then as UGA got to maintain possession after the free throws, J.J. Frazier boarded a miss and fell down but
Keon Johnson was whistled for a foul and Frazier knocked made both free throws as Georgia's lead was back to double-figures with 6:26 to play. That ended up being a turning pout in the Eagles efforts to get back into the game.
Roderick Perkins did hit a three with 5:33 left to make it a seven point game, but that was as close as the Eagles got the remainder of the game.
Johnson led the Eagles with 21 points as he was 7-for-17 from the field while Perkins chipped in with 14 points (all in the second half) and
Jimmy Gavin added 11. The Eagles finished the game shooting 35 percent from the floor while the Bulldogs finished shooting 38 percent. It is the third time in the last five games Johnson has scored 20 or more points.
Georgia came out of the half on a 7-0 run as the Eagles responded with four straight, but couldn't overcome shooting woes to start the half and fell behind by 17 with 14:18 left. The Eagles were 1-for-7 from the field over the first five and half minutes of the second half. Winthrop trailed by 11 but then a Frazier three followed by a Yante Maten jumper pushed the Bulldogs lead to 16.
Following two free throws from Oshahen Iduwe with 12:56 left in the game, the Eagles went on an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to single-digits with 11:44 left to play. The run started on a Johnson jumper and then six straight points from Perkins. Perkins drained a three, then stole the ball on a double team and followed that by draining another three after the Eagles boarded his first miss of the possession.
Perkins then came up with a steal with 10:20 to play and in transition he drove to the paint and then kicked the ball out to Gavin for an open three and he nailed it to cut the deficit to five points. Free throws by Georgia's Maten and Houston Kessler pushed the lead back to nine points with 8:40 remaining.
Maten led all scorers with 24 points while Frazier had 15 points and Mann finished with 14, 9-for-10 at the free throw line.
Winthrop started the game 2-for-16 from the field and ended up shooting just 27 percent in the first half but only found itself down by 33-25 at the break. UGA started the game 6-for-11 from the field and 13-for-24, but ended the half missing its final eight shots.
Charles Mann's basket inside put the Bulldogs up 31-16 with 3:57 to play in the half, but the Eagles ended on a 9-2 run behind four points from Gavin. The graduate senior started the run by knocking down a jumper, just his second field goal of the second half and then after the Bulldogs scored to go up 14, Gavin found Johnson on the wing for a three. Gavin cut the deficit to single-digits with 47 seconds left after knocking down two free throws and the Eagles had a chance to make it a five-point game at the break, but Perkins three from the corner went in and out to end the half.
The Eagles fall to 3-24 all-time against opponents from the Southeastern Conference.
