Bulldogs’ late rally falls short against Wofford
November 18, 2009 by NICK PARKER
Filed under Sports
The shots just wouldn’t go down late in the game for Georgia Tuesday night, as they suffered a tough 60-57 defeat at the hands of the Wofford Terriers.
“Late in the game, I think we did a lot of things very well. We handled the special situations very well,” Georgia head coach Mark Fox said of his team’s composure down the stretch. “We missed a few close ones that would have tied it. But with more experience, those shots will fall for them.”
Georgia (1-1) appeared lifeless for much of the first half with Wofford (1-1) holding a slim lead for the majority of the game.
After falling dowm by as much as 11 points, Georgia came roaring back with sophomore Travis Leslie hitting a crucial three with 17.9 seconds remaining to bring the Dogs two points away from a tie. Wofford then struggled to get the ball inbounds, thanks to the Dogs’ defensive pressure, and Georgia had the ball and a chance to tie.
But as Georgia’s Trey Thompkins drove to the basket he was greeted by two Wofford defenders that forced a jump ball which ultimately gave the ball back to the Terriers with 16 seconds remaining.
Georgia wasn’t dead yet. Wofford’s Jamar Diggs missed a free throw and Thompkins got the rebound, giving life back to the Bulldogs. Following his rebound, Thompkins’ immediately pitched the ball ahead to Ware who drove hard to the goal and was fouled by a Wofford defender, giving Ware two foul shots to tie the game and possibly send it into overtime.
Ware’s first free throw was good. The second free throw rimmed in and out, leaving the Terriers with a one point edge. Ware would have his shot again, though, as Wofford made two free throws to go up by three, leaving Georgia with just 3.1 seconds to go the length of the floor. The last-gasp shot by Ware came up just short.
“Coach drew it up, and we executed it perfectly – but it just didn’t go down,” Ware said following the game.
Thompkins had a double-double for the Bulldogs with 16 points and 14 rebounds. Leslie had a solid night with 17 points and seven rebounds.
The Bulldogs will be on the road at Alabama-Birmingham Saturday night at 8.
