Georgia

Bulldogs do it again, take down No. 17 Oklahoma

Published

1 year ago

January 12, 2025

Bulldogs do it again, take down No. 17 Oklahoma

Lightning struck again for Georgia on Saturday night.

For the second time in five days, the Bulldogs welcomed a top-25 team to Stegeman Coliseum on Saturday night. Once again, Georgia (14-2, 2-1 SEC) came out on top, taking down No. 17 Oklahoma (13-3, 0-3) by a score of 72-62.

“Shoot-around was okay today, so the handling of success from the other day I thought was good, not great,” head coach Mike White said after the game. “If you want to be in the upper half of this league, you’ve got to respond to negativity as we’ve talked about and positivity. Pretty good, but not great. Got to be better there… I loved our halftime response, though. I thought we had some really good individual responses as well throughout the game. Played with a lot of toughness, especially defensively down the stretch.”

The win marks the first time Georgia has defeated ranked opponents in back-to-back games since beating No. 25 Kentucky and No. 21 LSU in 2007.

The Bulldogs showed no early signs of a hangover from Tuesday night’s win over No. 6 Kentucky. Georgia jumped out to an early 17-7 lead highlighted by a thunderous slam from sophomore guard Silas Demary Jr.

“That was amazing. That’s going to be top 10 tonight,” freshman forward Asa Newell said. “He really has sneaky bounce. For him just to do that and turn the corner just brings a lot of energy to us.”

The lead stood at 19-10 with 11:46 left in the first half. Oklahoma then closed the half on a 26-14 run to take a 36-33 lead into halftime.

Georgia shot 44 percent in the first half and 1-of-9 on 3-pointers. The Bulldogs also had nine turnovers to just four assists.

“The coaches didn’t say anything to us. They let us handle it,” freshman forward Somto Cyril said. “We know who we are. We know what we can do. We just talked to each other on how to handle the adversity.”

Georgia scored the first six points of the second period to take a three-point lead. The Bulldogs then took the lead for good at the 10:36 mark, using four runs of at least 5-0 to keep the Sooners at bay.

The Bulldogs used second-half contributions from a pair of bench players to get the job done.

Dakota Leffew poured in 12 second-half points. Reserve forward Justin Abson came in for six minutes and contributed four points, two rebounds, and a block.

“He was a huge get for us out of the portal. I mean, we were fired up, you know, when he committed to us,” White said. “He’s got as good a feel and basketball IQ, temperament, as anyone on our team. Not surprising what he did offensively. I mean, he’s able to block a shot too, which he did a lot, you know, in the Sun Belt these last couple years. But just a winning player, a character guy, always ready.”

The Bulldogs rode their defense down the stretch. Oklahoma shot just 31 percent in the second half, scoring only 26 points. Georgia outscored the Sooners 39-26 in the final 20 minutes.

The key point came when the Bulldogs went on a 10-2 run over a period of just over four minutes, taking a 63-54 lead with 4:26 left.

“Late in the game we were able to be switchable with Asa at the five,” White said. “Those last few possessions, playing four guards. Silas Demary, I think, was just really good from the tip. For 40 minutes defensively was fantastic. We got good speed and length in the backcourt. We were pretty dialed in with guarding the bounce. They had some deep-paint touches that we were able to alter and block, of course, with the length that we’ve got at the rim. Allowed too much rhythm, three attempts from their shooters.”

Georgia gets no reward for its recent success. Its next contest is a Tuesday road trip to Tennessee, currently ranked No. 1 in the country. The Bulldogs then return home to face No. 2 Auburn next Saturday.

With that slate ahead, White knows there is no time to celebrate an acheivement that Georgia hasn’t seen in nearly two decades.

“The response for a young team after beating No. 6, it was pretty good,” White said. “It needs to be great, you know? Coming into this week, it’s got to be great.”

– Georgia is now 3-2 against ranked teams this season after being 0-5 against ranked opponents last season. This is the first time Georgia has three wins against ranked opponents in a season since 2017-18.

– The Bulldogs had eight blocks against Oklahoma, its most in a conference game under White.

– Newell scored in double-digits for the 15th time in 16 games.

– Half of Georgia’s 72 points came in the paint.

– Demary led the team in rebounds (8), assists (4), and steals (3).

– Georgia held Oklahoma to season-lows in points (62), field goal percentage (38.1 percent), and 3-point percentage (25.9 percent).

– Georgia out-rebounded Oklahoma 40-32, the 14th time this season the Bulldogs have beaten their opponent on the glass.

Source link

Georgia

Police officer killed, another seriously wounded in hotel room shootout in Georgia

Published

8 hours ago

February 1, 2026

Press Room

Police officer killed, another seriously wounded in hotel room shootout in Georgia

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. — A man being questioned by police at a suburban Atlanta hotel Sunday shot the two officers after inviting them into his room, killing one of them and seriously wounding the other, authorities said.

The suspect, who was shot by one of the officers, was undergoing medical treatment and expected to survive, Gwinnett County Police Chief J.D. McClure said during a news conference.

The shootout happened Sunday morning near Stone Mountain, about 25 miles northeast of Atlanta. The officers were dispatched to the hotel after a caller in another state reported someone had fraudulently used their credit card there, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said in a statement. The agency said the front desk clerk directed the officers to the room of the person who had used the credit card.

McClure said the suspect greeted the officers at the door to his room and invited them inside.

“They began discussing the scenario or the incident with him,” McClure said. “And at some point the suspect produced a handgun and, in an unprovoked attack, fired at our Gwinnett County police officers.”

Officer Pradeep Tamang, 25, died of his injuries at a hospital, McClure said. A native of Nepal, Tamang had joined the Police Department last year.

Office David Reed was hospitalized in serious condition but stable Sunday afternoon, the police chief said.

“This is the latest reminder of the dangers law enforcement face on a daily basis, and we are grateful for every one that puts themselves in harm’s way to protect their fellow Georgians,” Gov. Brian Kemp said on X.

McClure identified the shooting suspect as 35-year-old Kevin Andrews of Decatur, Ga. It was not immediately known whether Andrews had an attorney who could comment on his behalf.

The investigation has been turned over to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which customarily handles shootings involving law enforcement officers in the state. McClure said it would be up to the GBI and local prosecutors to decide what charges to bring against Andrews.

Source link

Georgia

Georgia brothers sentenced for Georgia Lottery fraud scheme

Published

20 hours ago

February 1, 2026

Press Room

Georgia brothers sentenced for Georgia Lottery fraud scheme

COLUMBIA COUNTY, Ga. – Two Georgia brothers have been sentenced after the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said they defrauded the Georgia Lottery more than a dozen times over a years-long period.

Brothers accused of lottery fraud

What we know:

Quinton Watts, 27, and Phillip Watts, 31, both of Sparta, were sentenced Thursday after being arrested for defrauding the lottery.

The GBI began investigating the men in August 2024 at the request of the Georgia Lottery Commission. Agents said the brothers stole money from video poker-style machines—commonly known as Coin Operated Amusement Machines (COAM)—across more than 12 counties between June 2021 and September 2024.

The two were charged with multiple felony charges, including racketeering, lottery ticket fraud, theft by taking, and possession of tools for the commission of a crime.

Lottery fraud sentencing

What’s next:

Columbia County Superior Court Judge Barry A. Fleming sentenced Quinton Watts to 20 years in prison, followed by 45 years of probation. Phillip Watts was sentenced to 20 years in prison, followed by 35 years of probation. Both men were ordered to pay $86,000 in restitution to the Georgia Lottery Commission. Judge Fleming also banned both men from Columbia County, prohibited them from entering any stores involved in the case, and barred them from playing COAMs.

What are COAMs?

Dig deeper:

COAMs are arcade-style machines regulated by the Georgia Lottery and are typically found inside gas stations and convenience stores. The machines award points that can be exchanged for in-store items, gas credits, or Georgia Lottery tickets. The machines are legal as long as they are properly licensed. Under Georgia law, customers may only redeem credits for specific non-cash rewards.

The Source: Information in this article came from a release posted on the GBI’s website.

LotteryGeorgiaNewsCrime and Public Safety

Source link

Georgia

Social media reacts to UNC controlling Georgia Tech Saturday afternoon

Published

1 day ago

January 31, 2026

Press Room

Social media reacts to UNC controlling Georgia Tech Saturday afternoon

What did social media have to say after UNC beat Georgia Tech on a snowy, Saturday afternoon in Atlanta?

An easy, dominant win is the best way for teams to keep their fans happy. That’s exactly what the UNC basketball team did on Saturday afternoon, controlling Georgia Tech from start to finish in a 91-75 victory.

North Carolina (17-4, 5-3 ACC) won its second-straight conference road game, a welcomed sight after losing its first three. The Tar Heels shot a solid 46 percent (36-of-79) from the field and, perhaps a more impressive mark, sank 92% (11-of-12) of their free throw attemps.

UNC took amazing care of the basketball, turning the ball over twice compared to 12 turnovers for the host Yellow Jackets (11-11, 2-7 ACC), who lost their third-consecutive outing. North Carolina scored a whopping 18 points off Tech’s 12 turnovers, which averages out to 1.5 points per turnover.

If you predicted Caleb Wilson to have another big game, you guessed correctly. Wilson finished his afternoon with a team-high 22 points, his 15th time reaching the 20-point plateau this season. This broke a previous tie with Tyler Hansbrough, the best collegiate basketball player to come through Chapel Hill, for most 20-point games by a freshman.

Henri Veesaar continued showcasing why he’s a top center in the country, recording a 20-point, 12-rebound double-double. Seth Trimble stepped up to lead the Tar Heels’ backcourt, recording 18 points (most amongst guards), four rebounds, two assists and a steal. Luka Bogavac made his case for a starting lineup return, netting 16 points off the bench.

UNC makes its long-awaited return home on Monday evening, hosting Syracuse in a 7 p.m. tip-off. For now, though, North Carolina players, coaches and fans can celebrate alike.

Take a look at social media for some postgame reactions from Saturday’s domination of Georgia Tech, which proved a needed big win before a big week ahead: