Georgia beats Jacksonville 68-62 in 2012-13 season-opener

Georgia won its seventh consecutive season opener Friday night by beating the Jacksonville Dolphins 68-62 at Stegeman Coliseum.

Sophomore guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope led the Hoop Dawgs with 17 points. He also tallied six rebounds, five steals, one assist and one block.

Nemanja Djurisic, a sophomore forward, recorded his second career double-double, scoring 14 points and pulling down 12 rebounds.

Junior forward Donte’ Williams did not play in the game. Head coach Mark Fox said afterwards that Williams “needed to be more responsible” and that the situation was “not a substance suspension or any of that nonsense.”

Overall, Georgia struggled with their shooting, making only 20-of-49 field goals (41%) and just 24-of-38 free-throws (63%). The Dawgs were also 4-of-19 from three-point range (21%).

The game was rather sloppy too. The two teams combined for 44 turnovers, with Georgia responsible for 23 of them.

“It’s a good opening win for us but we didn’t play very well,” said head coach Mark Fox. “But we were able to win the game and we had some very good moments at times. Our offense in the first half was good; our defense in the second half was awful. There is certainly a lot to learn from this and it is a good first step.”

Every Bulldog that got into the game scored. Forward/center John Florveus scored eight points, while guards Vincent Williams and Sherrard Brantley each added four.

Freshman guard Charles Mann came off the bench to score five points. Other scorers were Marcus Thornton (4), Tim Dixon (4), John Cannon (4), and Brandon Morris (2).

Georgia’s next game is Monday, Nov. 12 at home against Youngstown State. The game is the first regional contest for UGA in the 2012 Progressive Legends Classic. It will be televised by ESPNU at 7 p.m. ET.

• 2012-13 Georgia Bulldogs Basketball Schedule
• Georgia-Jacksonville Box Score