ATHENS ---- Billy Humphrey scored a team-high 13 points, including the game's decisive bucket - a 3-pointer with 1:14 left that gave Georgia a 7-point cushion - to help the Bulldogs to their first SEC win of the season, a 61-54 victory over Alabama here Wednesday night.
Humphrey, Georgia's leading scorer on the season, had been relatively quiet during much of this defensive-minded game. He delivered, however, when his team needed him the most.
The Bulldogs led by 10 at halftime and controlled play for most of the second half. Trailing by as many as 15 points, Alabama (11-7, 0-3) rallied in the waning minutes and pulled within 55-51 with an 8-0 run. That's when Humphrey stepped forward with his killing 3-point shot, launched as the shot clock wound down with a defender in pursuit.
Humphrey then followed an Alabama miss by securing the victory even further, sinking a pair of foul shots that put Georgia ahead 60-51 with 35 seconds left.
"I thought we gave super effort on defense tonight," Georgia coach Dennis Felton said. "We do need to cut down on some turnovers and have a little better offensive efficiency, but at the end of the day, we got a win in the SEC. That's big for our team's confidence level."
Georgia scored the game's first six points and never trailed. Late in the first half, the Bulldogs forged a 15-point lead by scoring nine points in a 47-second span. Sundiata Gaines sank two straight 3-pointers, the latter with 1:42 left before halftime, and Corey Butler's fast-breaking 3-point play 19 seconds later gave Georgia a 35-20 lead.
The Bulldogs (10-5, 1-1) remain at home this Saturday to play host to Arkansas in a 7:00 p.m. tipoff.
Humphrey, Georgia's leading scorer on the season, had been relatively quiet during much of this defensive-minded game. He delivered, however, when his team needed him the most.
The Bulldogs led by 10 at halftime and controlled play for most of the second half. Trailing by as many as 15 points, Alabama (11-7, 0-3) rallied in the waning minutes and pulled within 55-51 with an 8-0 run. That's when Humphrey stepped forward with his killing 3-point shot, launched as the shot clock wound down with a defender in pursuit.
Humphrey then followed an Alabama miss by securing the victory even further, sinking a pair of foul shots that put Georgia ahead 60-51 with 35 seconds left.
"I thought we gave super effort on defense tonight," Georgia coach Dennis Felton said. "We do need to cut down on some turnovers and have a little better offensive efficiency, but at the end of the day, we got a win in the SEC. That's big for our team's confidence level."
Georgia scored the game's first six points and never trailed. Late in the first half, the Bulldogs forged a 15-point lead by scoring nine points in a 47-second span. Sundiata Gaines sank two straight 3-pointers, the latter with 1:42 left before halftime, and Corey Butler's fast-breaking 3-point play 19 seconds later gave Georgia a 35-20 lead.
The Bulldogs (10-5, 1-1) remain at home this Saturday to play host to Arkansas in a 7:00 p.m. tipoff.