Athens, GA (Sports Network) - Rodney Cooper scored 14 points as the Alabama
Crimson Tide logged a 52-45 win over the Georgia Bulldogs in an SEC showdown
at Stegeman Coliseum.
Cooper was the only player on the Crimson Tide (16-8, 8-3 SEC) in double
figures and the lone shooter to make more than three field goals for the
visitors as they posted their fourth win in the last five outings.
The Bulldogs (12-12, 6-5) were paced by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope who logged a
game-high 22 points and pulled down eight rebounds, although he did shoot just
4-of-12 behind the 3-point line. Nemanja Djurisic checked in with 12 points
off the bench as the team had a five-game win streak brought to a halt.
Georgia led by as many as nine points midway through the first half, but the
hosts ended up shooting just 34.6 percent from the floor in the period, en
route to a 25-22 deficit at the break. Both teams shot 9-of-24 from the floor
and 3-of-9 beyond the arc through the first 20 minutes, the difference being
that Alabama hit 4-of-7 at the charity stripe and the Bulldogs 1-of-1.
It was slow going for both teams in the second half, but eventually Georgia
bounced back to grab a one-point lead with about three minutes remaining
before falling apart and allowing the visitors to cruise to the seven-point
win.
The Bulldogs shot just 7-of-26 (.269) from the field after intermission,
including a dismal 2-of-13 beyond the arc.
GAME NOTES:
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