Defense, dunks and dynamic night lead Dawgs to defeat South Carolina State

ATHENS, Ga. — The Georgia Bulldogs (2-1) got a big win Tuesday night at Stegeman Coliseum, overpowering the South Carolina State Bulldogs (0-5) in a 76-60 win. After a tough loss against the Cincinnati Bearcats last Saturday, the win over the border-state opponent is a huge confidence booster for the team ahead of their Friday night matchup against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

The chemistry of Georgia’s offense has been a question mark in the beginning of the season with the majority of the team having never played together before. However, everything was clicking for the offense Tuesday night as the Dawgs had 16 assists to only 10 turnovers.

Defensively, the Bulldogs must have had glue on their hands, as they finished with 13 steals on the night. Georgia had 22 points off turnovers, which was one of the biggest discrepancies in the stat sheet when compared to South Carolina State’s seven points in the same category. In the post-game press conference, Georgia head coach Tom Crean explained that this had been a point of emphasis for the Bulldogs in preparation for this game.

“We wanted to bring pressure to them,” Crean said. “We’ve had different games where some people really want that pressure like the Cincinnati guards want you to get up and get on them so they can attack and play. So that was in our game plan… Aaron (Cook) is a tremendous defensive player and Kario (Oquendo) is going to be and Christian Wright is way ahead of the game than most freshmen when it comes to defensively in the backcourt.”

While the highlight reel dunks of JUCO product Kario Oquendo might make headlines, the MVP of the night for the Bulldogs was Gonzaga transfer Aaron Cook. He finished with 22 points and seven assists from the point guard position. In a game where the Dawgs struggled to shoot the ball from deep, Cook put on a show, going 3-for-5 in three-pointers. While there were plenty of players who contributed to the Dawgs’ win, Crean singled out Cook as a difference-maker on the team.

“He’s a power player. He really is,” Crean said. “I mean he can get in the lane, he’s getting better at finding people, with another good night of assists after having 10 the other night… He’s so good defensively and he stays on the attack. And then when he’s making threes like that, which he’s fully capable of, that changes the game.”

Cook was the focal point of the Georgia offense Tuesday night, and he’s not backing down from the spotlight. After leading the team in points scored and assisted, the guard was asked about what it meant to be able to “have control” of the offense.

“Since I got here, day one Coach Crean really instilled that confidence in me,” Cook said. “He told me when he recruited me, ‘I want you to be the guy that runs the team and be a vocal leader for these guys.’ My teammates have really helped me rise into that role, and they’ve really been behind me ever since day one. I really can’t ask for a better coaching staff and a better group of guys that would instill that confidence in me.”

The Bulldogs return to action this Friday night when they take on their in-state rival in the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Both teams head into the game with a 2-1 record, but the winner will leave with bragging rights. The game will be broadcasted on SEC Network at 9:00 p.m. ET. The two teams didn’t play last season, however, Georgia enters the contest having won five straight over Tech, dating back to 2015. Overall, Tech holds a 105-91 advantage.

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