Marcus Millender had 13 points and six assists on Monday to help Georgia stave off visiting Florida Gulf Coast for an 80-72 victory in Athens, Ga.
Kanon Catchings added 13 points and seven rebounds for Georgia (3-0), which nearly squandered a 23-point lead. Blue Cain and Kareem Stagg also scored 13 points apiece for the Bulldogs, who won the turnover battle 14-7.
Darren Williams’ 22 points led Florida Gulf Coast (1-2), followed by Elijah Brooks’ 14 and Bryson Lucas’ 12.
Georgia pushed its three-point halftime lead to 49-41 as Cain hit a 3-pointer and Catchings scored on a layup to begin the second half.
After Williams’ jumper pulled the Eagles within six, Stagg’s layup and consecutive dunks from Catchings and James Scott began a 17-0 run that ended with Freddie Dilione V’s basket to extend the Bulldogs’ lead to 66-43.
A pair of Cain free throws gave Georgia a 68-45 edge, and Williams and Lucas made two straight 3-pointers to jumpstart a 16-0 Florida Gulf Coast spurt, slicing the Eagles’ deficit to 68-61 with eight minutes left.
Florida Gulf Coast continued to chip away, as Lucas’ triple pulled the Atlantic Sun Conference members within four at the 6:12 mark.
Georgia iced the game with an 8-0 spurt, stamped with Stagg’s dunk to give the Bulldogs an 80-68 lead with 4:18 left.
Florida Gulf Coast jumped out to a 17-11 edge on Chase Konieczny’s jumper with 13:24 left in the first half.
After Lucas’ dunk put the visitors up 19-13, Scott and Catchings’ dunks stamped a 6-0 spurt to help Georgia knot the score at 19 apiece.
Georgia went ahead 38-32 on Stagg’s layup, before Lucas and Cain traded 3-pointers.
The barrage from beyond the arc continued, as Gabe Tanner drilled a triple for the Eagles and Georgia answered with Brady Dunlap’s 3-pointer.
Williams finished the first half with a trey to cut Florida Gulf Coast’s halftime deficit to 44-41.
