Dogs Dodge Upset

ATHENS, Ga. – A tale of two halves saw Texas A&M-Corpus Christi shake off one of the lowest scoring halves in program history to erase a 19-point deficit in the second half and come one shot shy of upsetting the Georgia Bulldogs in a 68-65 game at Stegeman Coliseum Sunday afternoon.
 
After shooting just 25.9 percent in the opening half, the Islanders (1-3) hit at a 58.6 percent clip in the second 20 minutes to send Georgia (3-0) reeling. Joseph Kilgore scored 20 of his 22 points in the second half and Kareem South added 18 in the defeat.
 
Georgia jumped out to an 11-0 start and built a lead as large as 27-8 as Corpus Christi opened the game just 1-of-16 from the field. From than point, the Islanders outscored the Bulldogs 57-41 in the final 25 minutes.
 
Trailing 30-16 at the break, the Islanders came out on fire to reel off a 20-6 run and tie the ball game at 36-all just five and a half minutes into the second half. Georgia punched right back with a 9-0 run to build a 45-36 edge.
 
Again the Islanders showed the heart and fight that has become so characteristic of the Blue and Green under Willis Wilson. Slowly, but surely, Corpus Christi chipped away before tying it at 49-49 on South's triple from the corner.
 
For the final seven minutes, it was neck-and-neck as the Islanders were never able to take the lead, but also stayed within five. With one minute to play, Kilgore sunk a contested three to cut the deficit to two. The senior struck again with 26 ticks left on the clock to make it 64-62 Bulldogs.
 
On the inbounds, the Islanders forced a turnover and cut the lead to one on a split pair of free throws. UGA would sink all four of its free throws down the stretch as Kilgore's last second three sailed long for a Bulldog escape.
 
TAKE NOTE
 
>> The Islanders hit 23-of-54 shots from the floor after the 1-for-16 start. That includes going 17-of-29 for 58 percent in the second half.
>> South's 18 points marked a season high for the redshirt sophomore. He was 4-of-6 from three-point range to match his career high.
>> The Islanders forced 24 Bulldog turnovers and racked up a season-best 16 steals. That led to the Isladners outscoring UGA 28-21 off turnovers.
>> Four Islanders had three or more steals as Kilgore, South, Myles Smith and Sean Rhea all hit the mark.
 
UP NEXT
 
Corpus Christi returns to action on Friday as the Islanders head to UTSA to face the Roadrunners in non-conference action. The Islanders next home game comes on December 1 in the Dugan Wellness Center.