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Turnovers sink Dogs as Vols roll
By CHIP TOWERS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 01/12/06
Knoxville Either Georgia is the new hot attraction in the SEC or Tennessee has something going on under first-year coach Bruce Pearl.
All due respect to coach Dennis Felton and his Bulldogs, it's more likely the latter.
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A crowd of 21,612 the second-largest to attend an SEC opener at Thompson-Boling Arena was on hand to witness their newly-beloved basketball dismantle Georgia 89-76. It was Vols' fifth win in a row and gets them off to an 11-1 start (2-0 SEC), their best start in five years.
"Tonight was an event and the next game will be an event," said the enthusiastic Pearl. "It's basketball time at Tennessee."
The only thing to quell the excitement was a bulletin read by the public-address announcer with 3:24 left in the game and the Vols ahead 79-66. Informed that Interstate 40 had been closed in both the East and West directions because of a major accident involving three tractor-trailers, hundreds immediately headed for the exits. They were booed by many of those remaining.
Georgia lost here for the eighth time in the last nine seasons. The Bulldogs (10-5, 0-2 SEC) haven't won an SEC road game since Jan. 17, 2004, when it won at Kentucky.
Sundiata Gaines led Georgia with 16 points and Channing Toney and Mike Mercer had 15 each. But the Bulldogs were undone by 22 turnovers, 14 of them coming in the first half.
Most disappointing for the Bulldogs is they appeared to lose composure toward the end of the game. There were instances of bickering over assignments and fouls as a deficit once in single digits swelled to 18 points.
"As a team, we need to come together a little better, especially when things aren't going our way and we're not making baskets," Gaines said. "We've got to get more stops, We're scoring enough points; we have to play better defense."
Said Felton: "I never saw us give up. I saw some frustration. But even though they did get frustrated, they got it back together and played hard until the end."
Point guard C.J. Watson, making his 100th start in 101 games at Tennessee, celebrated by scoring a game-high 20 points, 13 of them coming in the first half. He was one of five Vols in double figures. After shutting out guard Chris Lofton in the first half, the Bulldogs let him get loose for 16 - his scoring average this season in the second.
Georgia trailed by only four at halftime after trading leads four times in the first half. But the Bulldogs came unglued after intermission, committing their 15th turnover of the game on their first possession, then falling behind by double digits in the next five minutes.
Georgia was able to hold it there until the 8:21 mark, when Lofton got free for his first 3-pointer of the game. That gave the Vols a 72-59 lead and they steadily pulled away from there.
Georgia played one of its better offensive halves in the first half, shooting 57 percent from the field. But the Dogs were undone by turnovers, collecting 14 in that half alone. As a result, they trailed 40-36.
That's not unusual for Tennessee opponents. The Vols had recorded at least 10 steals in six of the last seven games. They added 13 Wednesday.
By CHIP TOWERS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 01/12/06
Knoxville Either Georgia is the new hot attraction in the SEC or Tennessee has something going on under first-year coach Bruce Pearl.
All due respect to coach Dennis Felton and his Bulldogs, it's more likely the latter.
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A crowd of 21,612 the second-largest to attend an SEC opener at Thompson-Boling Arena was on hand to witness their newly-beloved basketball dismantle Georgia 89-76. It was Vols' fifth win in a row and gets them off to an 11-1 start (2-0 SEC), their best start in five years.
"Tonight was an event and the next game will be an event," said the enthusiastic Pearl. "It's basketball time at Tennessee."
The only thing to quell the excitement was a bulletin read by the public-address announcer with 3:24 left in the game and the Vols ahead 79-66. Informed that Interstate 40 had been closed in both the East and West directions because of a major accident involving three tractor-trailers, hundreds immediately headed for the exits. They were booed by many of those remaining.
Georgia lost here for the eighth time in the last nine seasons. The Bulldogs (10-5, 0-2 SEC) haven't won an SEC road game since Jan. 17, 2004, when it won at Kentucky.
Sundiata Gaines led Georgia with 16 points and Channing Toney and Mike Mercer had 15 each. But the Bulldogs were undone by 22 turnovers, 14 of them coming in the first half.
Most disappointing for the Bulldogs is they appeared to lose composure toward the end of the game. There were instances of bickering over assignments and fouls as a deficit once in single digits swelled to 18 points.
"As a team, we need to come together a little better, especially when things aren't going our way and we're not making baskets," Gaines said. "We've got to get more stops, We're scoring enough points; we have to play better defense."
Said Felton: "I never saw us give up. I saw some frustration. But even though they did get frustrated, they got it back together and played hard until the end."
Point guard C.J. Watson, making his 100th start in 101 games at Tennessee, celebrated by scoring a game-high 20 points, 13 of them coming in the first half. He was one of five Vols in double figures. After shutting out guard Chris Lofton in the first half, the Bulldogs let him get loose for 16 - his scoring average this season in the second.
Georgia trailed by only four at halftime after trading leads four times in the first half. But the Bulldogs came unglued after intermission, committing their 15th turnover of the game on their first possession, then falling behind by double digits in the next five minutes.
Georgia was able to hold it there until the 8:21 mark, when Lofton got free for his first 3-pointer of the game. That gave the Vols a 72-59 lead and they steadily pulled away from there.
Georgia played one of its better offensive halves in the first half, shooting 57 percent from the field. But the Dogs were undone by turnovers, collecting 14 in that half alone. As a result, they trailed 40-36.
That's not unusual for Tennessee opponents. The Vols had recorded at least 10 steals in six of the last seven games. They added 13 Wednesday.
