National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Georgia 66, High Point 58
When: 5:30 PM ET, Saturday, December 16, 2023
Where: Stegeman Coliseum, Athens, Georgia
Officials: # Jason Baker, # Garrick Shannon, # Robert Felder
Attendance: 6523

Silas Dmary Jr. scored 12 points, RJ Melendez added 11 points and six rebounds and Georgia rallied for a 66-58 win over visiting High Point Saturday in Athens, Ga.

Noah Thomasson and Russel Tchewa each added 11 for the Bulldogs (7-3), who came off an 11-day layoff to win their fifth in a row and stay unbeaten at home (6-0).

Featuring one of the best offenses in the country at 89.1 points per game, the Panthers (8-4) fell well short of that average as their five-game winning streak was snapped despite Trae Benham's season-high 18 points.

The Panthers' Duke Miles finished with 15 points, Kimani Hamilton chipped in 11 points and 10 rebounds and Juslin Bodo Bodo grabbed a season-high 15 rebounds.

Down 33-30 at the half, Georgia took its first lead since the 16:07 mark of the first half when Melendez nailed an open 3-pointer with 11:02 to play to put the Bulldogs ahead 45-43.

Jabri Abdur-Rahim couldn't have picked a better time to collect his first points of the day. With 5:34 left, and Georgia up one, he stepped back and connected from beyond the arc for his 99th career 3-pointer, getting fouled in the process. His ensuing free throw made it 55-50.

Miles knocked down a 3-pointer with 2:04 remaining to pull the Panthers within 61-56 but the Bulldogs hung on.

High Point looked like the sharper team early thanks in part to Hamilton, who drilled back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Panthers a 17-10 lead at the midway point of the opening half.

The lead stretched to double digits when Benham launched a 3-point shot up that put High Point ahead 20-10.

A 3-pointer from Demary in the corner with 8:12 remaining ignited an 8-0 run for the Bulldogs, who were within 20-18 after a layup and free throw by Tchewa at the 6:26 mark.

Benham made his third 3-pointer of the day with 3:17 left, coming off a screen for the shot as High Point surged ahead 31-24.

The Panthers held a halftime lead as five 3-pointers and 15 offensive rebounds, leading to 11 second-chance points, helped negate a 22.5 percent shooting percentage.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
High Point   Georgia
Trae Benham 18 Scoring Silas Demary Jr 12
Trae Benham 3 Assists Silas Demary Jr 4
Juslin Bodo Bodo 15 Rebounds RJ Melendez 7
Trae Benham 6 Free Throws Made Jabri Abdur-Rahim 3
Kezza Giffa 2 Steals Silas Demary Jr 2
Juslin Bodo Bodo 4 Blocks Russel Tchewa 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
High Point 58 23.3 9-36 15-19 10 40 4 6 9
Georgia 66 44.2 4-12 16-23 9 39 7 5 9