The Red and Black

Issue date: 12/4/07 Section: Sports

Media Credit: RICHARD HAMM Georgia guard Billy Humphrey leaps above Daniel Dixon, left, and Steve Smith, right, of No. 5 Augusta State for a layup against the Jaguars on Monday night in Stegeman Coliseum. After trailing by as much as 11 points in the first half, the Bulldogs were able to claim a 81-74 victory. [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: RICHARD HAMM Georgia guard Sundiata Gaines tries to hold on to the ball as an Augusta State forward tries to steal it Monday. [Click to enlarge]

The Georgia men's basketball team got its toughest home test of the season thus far Monday night, as it outlasted Division II Augusta State in an 81-74 victory at Stegeman Coliseum.

Senior point guard Sundiata Gaines's fast break lay-up with 1:33 to go gave the Bulldogs (5-1) a 75-73 advantage they would never give up, part of a 12-1 Georgia run to end the game.

The Jaguars (4-2) put up a much bigger fight than their lower-division status might suggest, but Georgia coach Dennis Felton said his team saw a close game coming.

Augusta State is, after all, ranked fifth in the nation in Division II.

"Whenever you're a top Division II team, it's because you have a lot of Division I players," Felton said.

"I wouldn't trade any of my guys for their guys, but I certainly would take some of their guys if I had a chance."

Georgia trailed by four with just four minutes remaining, and by as many as 11 in the first half, but was able to make all the plays it needed down the stretch to avoid an upset.

After giving the Bulldogs the 75-73 lead, Gaines ran the shot clock down in the final minute and forced in another lay-up with 15 seconds left that virtually iced the game.

"At that last media timeout, I just told my guys in the huddle, 'We can't lose to Augusta State. This'll hurt our resume when it comes down to March,'" said Gaines, who led all scorers with 24 points.

Augusta State jumped out to a 10-2 lead in the first four minutes and had an answer for every run the Bulldogs made throughout the contest, except the last.

And 3-point shooting was the answer more often than not, as the visitors shot better than 46 percent from long range.

Just when it seemed Georgia had seized the momentum with a 15-0 run to take the lead late in the first half, the Jaguars knocked down four consecutive threes to take a four-point lead into the locker room.

"This is the type of game we needed, when it's down the stretch and we're losing, and we've got to get over that adversity of them being up," Gaines said.

"And closing out games, which we didn't do last year."

Augusta State had four players in double digits, led by sophomore Ben Madgen with 21 points, including four-of-five shooting from behind the arc.

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