Blue Cain scored 22 points, with over half of them coming at the free throw line, as Georgia pulled away from Cincinnati for an 84-65 win Saturday afternoon in Atlanta.
Cain (12 of 14 at the charity stripe) was one of four Bulldogs (9-1) in double figures, with Jeremiah Wilkinson (17), Somtochukwu Cyril (13) and Marcus Millender (10) joining him in a game where the Bulldogs outscored Cincinnati 47-28 in the second half.
Jalen Celestine led the Bearcats (6-4) with 13 points while Baba Miller and Moustapha Thiam scored 11 apiece. Thiam also had a game-high nine rebounds.
When Cincinnati led 41-37 with 17:57 remaining in the game, Miller was called for a technical foul. He led the Bearcats with 10 points at the time, but this moment turned the tide of the game and flipped all the momentum over to the Bulldogs.
Georgia went on an immediate 12-3 run to flip a four-point deficit to a five-point lead.
After the Bearcats led for nearly the entire first half — by as many as 11 points at 33-22 — the Bulldogs led for the majority of the second half.
Despite connecting on just 4 of 21 3-pointers for the game, Georgia still shot 50% from the field and won the rebound battle 41-37.
Even when Miller re-entered the game two minutes later, Georgia gradually built its lead to nearly a 20-point margin late in the second half. The Bulldogs ended the game on a 21-8 run over the final 5:11 after Cincinnati trailed just 63-57.
The Bearcats shot just 35.3% from the field and made 7 of 27 3-pointers (25.9%).
Foul trouble plagued Cincinnati all afternoon. Miller picked up his fourth foul with more than 12 minutes remaining in the second half. Day Day Thomas fouled out of the game with 5:11 to play after scoring just eight points on 1-of-7 shooting.
Georgia, despite scoring its second-fewest points this season, has won three straight games since its only loss this season against Clemson.
The Bearcats have now dropped four of their last six games after their 4-0 start.
–Field Level Media
