ATLANTA (AP) — Asa Newell scored 17 points, including a three-point play with 17 seconds left, to help Georgia beat GCU 73-68 on Saturday night at Holiday Hoopsgiving.

GCU wing Tyon Grant-Foster was held scoreless in the first half and missed his first 10 shots before finishing with 11 points on 2 of 17 shooting.

Somto Cyril finished 12 points with several highlight dunks, eight rebounds and five blocks for the Bulldogs. Tyrin Lawrence and Blue Cain scored 10 points.

Georgia (9-1) is off to its best start since winning 11 of 12 games to open the 2001-02 season.

Collin Moore hit a 3-pointer, Ray Harrison added two free throws and then stole the ball from Cain and fed Jakobe Coles for a layup that made it 66-63 with 1:32 remaining. Neither team scored again until Newell was fouled as he made a layup and hit the and-1 free throw in the closing seconds.

Harrison led the Lopes with 16 points, 11 in the final 10 minutes. He has 2,110 career points and his 1,220 at Grand Canyon are 14th most in program history.

Newell hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer that gave Georgia the lead for good midway through the first half.

Grand Canyon (6-3) scored the first eight points of the second-half, and the Bulldogs started 0-for-4 shooting with three turnovers to make it a one-possession game about 3 minutes in. Newell responded with a dunk, then blocked a shot, grabbed the rebound and went the other way for another dunk.

Grand Canyon, which went in No. 5 nationally with 28 free-throw attempts per game, made 15 of 17 free throws.

It was just the second time this season the Lopes have attempted fewer than 25. The other was 14 free throw attempts in a blowout win over Norfolk State in Duke Brennan’s season debut.

The Georgia Bulldogs are very active in the NCAA transfer portal, but Georgia still relies more heavily on traditional recruiting.

Georgia has already signed 25 commitment in the class of 2025. The Bulldogs have the nation’s No. 3 recruiting class, so Georgia will have an influx of freshman talent next year.

The early signing period is over, but what are our class of 2025 superlatives?

Biggest Star

This award goes to the highest-rated commit in the class, Elijah Griffin. As the nation’s No. 5 overall prospect and the No. 1 defensive lineman, Griffin is as elite as they come and  fulls a critical need in a position that is set to lose key pieces this offseason. Kirby Smart and company secured his commitment through the relentless effort to make it known that he was on top of the recruiting board for Georgia.

Most Loyal

Tight end Elyiss Williams was the longest tenured commitment in this class. He has been committed to Georgia since April 2023. Williams is built in the lab with his 6-foot-7 frame lining up at tight end and out at wide receiver.  With the likes of Miami and Florida State coming on hard late in the recruiting process he stood firm on his commitment to the Bulldogs.

Immediate Impact

Five-star wide receiver Tayln Taylor is the first five-star wide receiver to come to UGA since George Pickens in 2019. Expect Taylor to come in and be an immediate playmaker in the wide receiver room, which is set to lose key contributors. It will be hard for the coaching staff to keep Taylor off the field.

Most Underrated 

Mason Short is a 6-foot-6, 310-pound offensive lineman from Evans, Georgia. Short is not being talked enough around, but he is someone who fits into the culture at Georgia. He plays guard and in his highlight tape he plays with aggression and is fundamentally sound. He could go into and compete for a starting role with Tate Ratledge likely leaving for the NFL draft.

Most Potential

Dennis Uzochukwu is someone that Kirby Smart recruited late in the process, but made sure he was coming to Athens. Uzochukwu is similar to Brodrieck Jones, who came into Georgia as a talented, raw offensive lineman prospect and ended up as a first round pick in the NFL draft.

On New Year’s Day 2021, investigators responded to a home invasion call from a residence in Canton, Georgia. At the scene, Morgan Metzer was found with her wrists zip tied, and bruising on her face. 

Morgan Metzer said the intruder had a mask on to hide his identity.

Her ex-husband, Rod Metzer, told investigators he found her on the back porch and called 911.

A revealing search warrant

When questioned, Morgan Metzer told investigators she suspected the intruder was, in fact, her ex-husband.

Investigators executed a search warrant of Rod Metzer’s apartment and found a bag of zip ties along with a portion of a zip tie.

A perfect match

Investigators hoped to find out if the portion of the zip tie found in Rod Metzer’s apartment lined up with the zip ties on Morgan Metzer’s wrists. At the crime lab, they were able to confirm a match.

“7 Ways To Be Her Hero”  

In Rod Metzer’s apartment, investigators also found the book “7 Ways To Be Her Hero.” Investigators believe this spoke to Rod Metzer’s motive.

Morgan Metzer had told investigators he had been trying to win her back. 

Rod Metzer’s incriminating browsing history

Rod Metzer’s internet searches stood out to investigators, among them: “How to change the sound of your voice” and “How to get sympathy from your ex.” 

A fake diagnosis

In his internet history was another alarming search: “Cancer letter from hospital.”

Rod Metzer had told Morgan Metzer the week before the attack that he had pancreatic cancer. Investigators found that Rod Metzer created a fake email account to create the cancer diagnosis letter he showed Morgan. Det. Dakota Lyvers confronted Rod Metzer about this. Rod Metzer did not answer Lyvers, instead he responded, “I don’t know if I should talk to you guys anymore. I’m starting to get a really bad feeling …”

A revealing barcode

Rod Metzer denied having zip ties in his home. Using a Lowe’s app on his phone, Sgt. Robert Haugh scanned the UPC code located on the zip tie bag and discovered they were carried by Lowe’s. After searching local transactions, investigators discovered Rod Metzer purchased the type of zip ties used to restrain Morgan Metzer with his debit card.

Lowe’s surveillance footage

Investigators obtained surveillance footage from Lowe’s which showed Rod Metzer purchasing the zip ties on Dec. 30 — about 36 hours before the attack.

“Overwhelming” evidence against Rod Metzer

Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Rachel Ashe said her team had more than enough evidence to prove Rod Metzer’s guilt. In her interview with “48 Hours,” she said, “This is a prosecutor’s dream” because the evidence was “overwhelming.”

Rod Metzer pleaded guilty to 14 counts related to Morgan Metzer’s attack and photos found on his phone that were considered an invasion of privacy. He was given a 70-year sentence — 25 years in prison followed by 45 years of probation.

A survivor’s story

Morgan Metzer says she is dedicated to helping women who find themselves in situations similar to her own. She is also focused on raising her children.