Written by Brian Pohl
Athens, GA- Georgia unable to keep up with Rebels, as UGA loses to Ole Miss 80-64 in front of a sold-out crowd at Stegeman Coliseum.
UGA head coach Tom Crean on the loss, “I chalk it up to a lack of mental toughness. We knew that we know that, we are working on it every day”
The Dawgs got off to a fast start, leading by as much as 10 in the first five minutes of the game. The Bulldogs were able to build the lead thanks to some red-hot shooting, making their first four three-point attempts. Ole Miss would answer in a big way, however, taking advantage of 16 UGA turnovers in the first half to go to the locker room with a 45-33 lead.
Tom Crean on the fast start and the turnovers, “When you’re mentally tough, and you get a lead like we had, one of two things are going to happen. You are either going build on that lead or they are going to make a comeback.” He continued, “You’ve got to stay mentally tough and strong and keep doing what you’re doing when you’re winning, and you’ve got to be able to overcome when they make a run like that and not let that beat you.”
UGA was able to limit their turnovers in the second half, committing only three, but couldn’t cut into the Ole Miss lead as the Rebels capitalized with 21 second-chance points to build on their lead. The second-chance points were frustrating for Crean as his team has been one of the best rebounding units in the league, but the Rebels were able to lean on senior forward Bruce Stevens to fight for every ball to help secure the victory. Ole Miss slowed the tempo considerably late in the game, controlling the ball and letting lead scorer Breein Tyree handle the offense.
Tyree led all scorers in the game with 31 points. The junior now has five straight 20-point games and has helped push the Rebels into a probable NCAA tournament berth in March.
The player of the game for the Dawgs was Rayshaun Hammonds. The sophomore out of Norcross, Georgia led the team with 10 points including two three-pointers. Hammonds has grown a lot as the season has gone on, and will be a key player as coach Crean accumulates more players for his system in the coming years.
The loss moves UGA to 10-13 on the year and an SEC record of 1-9. It’s been a difficult season for the Dawgs under new head coach Tom Crean, as the Dawgs have lost some heartbreakers. Fan support is high, however, as UGA filled Stegeman Coliseum for “Letterman’s Day” as around 100 former coaches, players, managers, and support staff returned to Athens. The Bulldogs are averaging almost 9,000 fans every home game, their highest average attendance since the 2002-2003 season.
Although it has been a difficult season for Crean and the Dawgs, they can only look to improve every day, and as Crean believes, it begins with the mindset and mental toughness of his players.
UGA will next travel to College Station, Texas to take on Texas A&M on Tuesday, February 12th at 7:00 p.m.
