Georgia Outshoots Gardner-Webb, 96-67, Tuesday Night
December 05, 2006 | Men's Basketball
ATHENS, Ga. - Georgia hit nine three-pointers in the first half to build a 20-point lead at intermission, and shot nearly 68 percent in the second half to beat Gardner-Webb 96-67 Tuesday night.
It was a far cry from GWU's near upset of the SEC Bulldogs just two years ago on the same court.
Gardner-Webb (1-6) made just 9-of-31 shots from long range and saw Georgia (6-1) hold a sizeable 50-32 edge on the glass, as the homestanding set of Bulldogs used a considerable size advantage to post 27 second-chance points in the game - and 44 in the paint.
GWU trailed by 22 midway through the first half, but cut the gap to just 13 points with a two-minute spurt - before Georgia went on another burst to close out the half up 48-28. Levi Stukes, who hit all six of his three-point attempts on the night for 20 points, made four in the first half to pace the home squad.
The taller Bulldogs went inside in the final 20 minutes, shooting 67.9 percent (19-of-28) to pull away further.
Takais Brown, a 6-foot-8, 255-pound forward, came off the bench to lead all scorers with 21 points - hitting 9-of-12 shots and pulling down five boards for Georgia. Mike Mercer (15 points) and Steve Newman (12 points) also hit double digits for the victors.
Gardner-Webb got 12 points apiece from Ricky McPhee and Chris Gash, and saw Jake Sims and Takayo Siddle each drop in eight markers. McPhee started the game 4-for-6 from long distance, but missed his final four shots in the game after tiring late.
GWU will return home on Saturday, December 9, as the 'Dogs host Southern Conference foe Western Carolina at 7 pm ET in Paul Porter Arena.
| BOX SCORE: Georgia 96, GWU 67 |
