By Liam Real
Georgia forward RJ Godfrey (10) dribbles during a men’s NCAA basketball game against Notre Dame at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Georgia, on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. Georgia won 69-48. (Photo/Mady Mertens; @madymertensphotography)
Georgia men’s basketball defeated Notre Dame 69-48 on Tuesday night at Stegeman Coliseum. The big matchup was a part of the SEC/ACC Challenge and improves the Bulldogs to 8-1 on the season.
Five-star true freshman Asa Newell led the Bulldogs in scoring with 20 points while also picking up 11 rebounds cashing in his second double-double of the season. Newell did not score his first points until the final five minutes of the first half, when he scored 11 before halftime.. Newell scored 4 times in a row to get to 8 pts in the first half, concluding it with an “and one” putting him at 11.
“He’s just a really talented guy, he’s got such humility that he can lose himself in a game and score within the flow,” head coach Mike White said of Newell. “He’s a guy whose teammates like to play with him for sure.”
Georgia had a very slow start to the game, missing its first nine shots with eight of them being 3-pointers. However, during that, the Bulldogs played great defense, leading to Notre Dame only leading 6-0 at the first media timeout.
The Irish took a 9-5 lead with 14 minutes left in the half before Georgia turned things around quickly with a 13-0 run that included buckets from five different players. Silas Demary Jr had the biggest play of the run when he stole the ball and went all the way to the basket for a layup that energized the crowd. Demary Jr finished the game with an impressive five steals.
“It was just our preparation in practice and Coach White had a fantastic plan for a really good Notre Dame team,” said Newell on turning the game around.
Dakota Leffew once again had a fantastic impact coming off the bench. Leffew scored 16 points shooting 6-12 from the field. He also picked up four rebounds, three assists and a block. Leffew shot 4-9 from behind the arc despite the Bulldogs’ poor 3-point shooting.
“It feels good, coming off the bench and being instant offense and picking up on what we need,” said Leffew.
Georgia shot 6-26 (23.1%) from the three. This is much lower than its usual 3-point shooting for the Bulldogs, as they have shot an average of 35.7% from the 3-point line this season.
The Fighting Irish also struggled to shoot the ball. They shot 36.5% from the field and 21.1% from the three. The two positive points from the performance were forward Tae Davis and guard Braeden Shrewsberry. Davis and Shrewsberry both scored 14 points on the night.
The atmosphere was very good at Stegeman on Tuesday night with a great turnout from the students. The student section was all wearing red and standing and cheering for the entirety of the game.
“We need it for every game. Our Students I thought were really big factors,” said White. “I urge anyone who hasn’t been to a game, you know give these guys a chance. Our guys play hard. I think they are fun to watch.”
The big win on Tuesday night continued the Bulldogs’ impressive home record against non-conference opponents to 24-0 under White.
Georgia takes an 11-day break after this game and will return to action on Saturday, Dec. 14 against Grand Canyon. The game is at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia and is set to tip off at 6 pm.
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