Jeremiah Wilkinson scored 18 points to help Georgia make history on Saturday with its wire-to-wire 87-68 win over visiting South Carolina on Senior Day in Athens.
Georgia (20-9, 8-8 Southeastern Conference) reached 20 wins for the third consecutive season. The Bulldogs achieved their 16th 20-win season, and only the sixth time they’ve reached the mark during the regular season.
Wilkson was 5-for-11, with four 3-pointers, to lead Georgia’s balanced attack. Somto Cyril scored 12, Kareem Stagg added a season-high 11 points and Justin Bailey and Marcus “Smurf” Millender each chipped in 10.
South Carolina (12-17, 3-13) has lost nine of its last 10 games. The Gamecocks were led by Meechie Johnson with 20 points. Kobe Knox and Eli Ellis each scored 12.
Georgia took control of the game early, going up by 10 on Justin Abson’s dunk at the 14:12 mark. The Bulldogs built the lead to 13 points at 37-24 on a bucket by Stagg at 5:57, only to have South Carolina go on a 7-0 run and narrow the lead to six points. Georgia, sparked by a pair of 3s from Wilkinson and another from Millender, finished the half on a 9-2 run and led 48-35 at intermission.
The 13-point lead matched Georgia’s largest at the half in an SEC game this season. They led Arkansas by 13 on Jan. 17.
Georgia extended its lead to 14 early in the second half before South Carolina scored eight unanswered points to make it to 53-47 with 15:16 remaining.
The Bulldogs opened up the game with a 10-0 run a few minutes later, which featured a windmill dunk from freshman Jake Wilkins, son of Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins, and four points from Justin Bailey that gave Georgia a 16-point lead. South Carolina never got within 12 points after that.
The win gave Georgia a sweep of the two-game series with South Carolina. Georgia has won four straight against South Carolina.
–Field Level Media
