ATHENS, Ga.—Charleston Southern battled relentlessly but missed 10 of its last 12 shots down the stretch in losing 81-65 loss to Georgia Stegeman Coliseum Sunday afternoon. In front of more than 8,000 fans, the Bucs pulled within six with 12:16 left in the second half. Afterwards, the Bulldogs defense stood strong, allowing only five points between from 9:23 to the final minute.
Georgia’s offense shined late in the first quarter, building an 11-point lead late in the half. Two late half runs proved the deciding factor.
Star Senior Forward Taje’ Kelly struggled in the first half, shooting 21% with seven points, but Kelly heated up in the second half, finishing with 29 points and 10 rebounds. The Atlanta native shot 41% from the field, aiding his strong season with four straight 20-plus point games.
“We followed the gameplan well, we put in a new gameplan this morning, so I feel like guys took on their roles the right way, and I feel like we executed the right way” Kelly said.
Guard Lamar Oden Jr shot 60% from the field, totaling 14 points and six rebounds for the Bucs.
Former Mount St. Mary’s Guard De’Shayne Montgomery led the Bulldogs with 22 points over 23 minutes, shooting 69.2% in his second game this season. Senior guard Dakota Leffew scored 19 points and shot 66.7%
The Bucs begin conference play in the new year, following a Saturday home game against Columbia International.
“Being able to get better on the defensive end” Kelly said when asked regarding the upcoming conference schedule.
BOXSCORE:
CSH 26 39—65
UGA 37 44—81
CSH (65): Kelly 29, Oden Jr. 14, Johnson 9, Berry 8, Reis 0, Wilkins 3, Olalere 2.
UGA: (81): Newell 14, Demary 7, Lawrence 7, Cain 2, Godfrey 0, Montgomery 22, Leffew 19, Cyril 7, James 3, Abson 0.
Three-pointers: CSU 8-23, UGA 9-18.
Free throws: CSU 11-16, UGA 8-14.