Bulldogs Look To Tame Tigers In Cayman Classic

Tuesday, November 20

Grand Cayman

1:30

University of Georgia

Clemson

November 19, 2018 | Men's Basketball

Game Notes

Georgia Basketball Game Notes
Cayman Islands Classic: Georgia (3-1) vs. No. 16 Clemson (4-0)
Tuesday, November 20 at 1:30 p.m. ET
John Gray Gymnasium (2,000) in George Town, Grand Cayman.
Listen: Georgia Bulldog Sports Network Flagship: WSB AM 750 Atlanta; XM: TBD. (Scott Howard, play-by-play; Chuck Dowdle, analyst; Tony Schiavone, producer)
TV: None
Video: Stadium via Facebook (Noah Coslov, play-by-play; Tim Scarborough, analyst)

Complete Game Notes (PDF)

Pos	No.	Name	PPG	RPG

Georgia Bulldogs
Coach: Tom Crean
3-1 in 1st season at UGA
359-232 in 19th season overall
G	14	Tye Fagan	6.8	2.5
6-3; 185; Fr.; Thomaston, Ga.
G	1	Teshaun Hightower	6.8	2.8
6-5; 180; So.; Lithonia, Ga.
F	20	Rayshaun Hammonds	17.9	6.0
6-8; 235; So.; Norcross, Ga.
F	33	Nicolas Claxton	14.3	8.8
6-11; 220; So.; Greenville, S.C.
F	34	Derek Ogbeide	10.3	6.0
6-9; 250; Sr.; Atlanta, Ga

Pos	No.	Name	PPG	RPG

Clemson Tigers
Coach: Brad Brownell
153-113 in 9th season at Clemson
320-198 in 17th season overall
G	2	Marquise Reed	17.0	6.0
6-3; 188; R-Sr.; Landover, Md.
G	4	Shelton Mitchell	15.5	2.3
6-3; 200; R-Sr.; Waxhaw, N.C.
F	24	David Skara	8.3	2.8
6-8; 213; R-Sr.; Zadar, Croatia
F	25	Aamir Simms	13.5	3.5
6-7; 248; So.; Palmyra, Va.
C	14	Elijah Thomas	9.8	7.3
6-9; 245; Sr.; Dallas, Texas

TEAM COMPARISON

STATISTIC	GEORGIA	CLEMSON
Points Per Game	85.5	79.2
Opp. Point Per Game	72.2	64.8
Scoring Margin	+13.3	+14.5
Field Goal Pct.	.504	.512
Opp. Field Goal Pct.	.370	.389
3-Point Pct.	.324	.382
3-Pointers Per Game	5.8	8.5
Opp. 3-Point Pct.	.313	.337
Free Throw Pct.	.726	.720
Free Throws Per Game	21.3	16.8
Rebounds Per Game	46.0	36.0
Opp. Rebound Per Game	36.2	30.0
Rebound Margin	+9.8	+6.0
Assists Per Game	17.5	15.3
Turnovers Per Game	17.3	12.3
Assist-to-Turnover Ratio	1.01	1.24
Turnover Margin	-3.7	+2.0
Steals Per Game	6.3	7.0
Blocks Per Game	6.3	4.0

The Starting 5...

Rayshaun Hammonds (31 points) and Nicolas Claxton (22 points) both put up career-high scoring outputs against Illinois State.
Freshman Tye Fagan secured his first career start versus Illinois State and played 36 minutes – the most PT of any Bulldog this season to date.
Claxton, Hammonds, Hightower and Ogbedie have started each game. Turtle Jackson, Tyree Crump and Tye Fagan also have started.
Derek Ogbeide ascended to No. 16 among UGA's career rebound leaders in the Sam Houston State game and is 16 away from No. 15.
UGA's coaching staff sports a combined 80 seasons of D-I experience (Crean-28, Scott-27, Dollar-23, Abdur-Rahim-12) with 38 postseason bids

The Opening Tip

Georgia takes on No. 16 Clemson on Tuesday afternoon at 1:30 in the semifinals of the Cayman Islands Classic.

The Bulldogs advanced by besting Illinois State, 80-68, behind career-high scoring outputs of 31 and 22 points from Rayshaun Hammonds and Nicolas Claxton, respectively.

Clemson led by double digits for much of the second half and then held off a furious rally by the Akron Zips in a 72-69 victory. Shelton Mitchell led a quartet of Tigers in double figures with 22 points.

The winner of today's game will advance to Wednesday night's championship game versus either Georgia State or Creighton.

Series History

Georgia currently sports a 56-25 advantage in the all-time series with Clemson, including a 4-2 record against the Tigers in games contested at neutral sites.

The Bulldogs and Tigers last met at a neutral site in the first round of the 1996 NCAA Tournament. Eighth-seeded Georgia topped ninth-seeded Clemson, 81-74. The Bulldogs then upset No. 1 seed Purdue, 76-69, to advance to the "Sweet 16" where they lost to Syracuse, 83-81 in overtime.

Up Next: The Owls Visit Athens

When the Bulldogs return to the United States, they will host Kennesaw State next Tuesday evening at Stegeman Coliseum.

Career-high Outings Against ISU

Sophomores Rayshaun Hammonds and Nicolas Claxton exploded for career-high offensive outputs of 31 and 22 points, respectively, against Illinois State.

Hammonds scored 31 points in 31 minutes of playing time. He topped his previous best effort of 21 points against LSU last season. In fact, Hammonds almost reached that mark in the first half alone. He scored 18 points in the opening period and eventually moved to 22 with an emphatic slam dunk at the 14:20 mark of the second half.

Claxton did much of his damage after the intermission. He scored 14 second-half points and also hauled in a game-high 11 rebounds for his second double-double of the young season. Not to be lost in the box score, Claxton also dished out a career-high four assists.

It's Bulldogs vs. Tigers In Cayman Islands Classic Semis

Georgia will face No. 16 Clemson on Tuesday afternoon in the semifinals of the second-annual Cayman Islands Classic.

The Bulldogs improved to 3-1 on the season with an 80-68 win over Illinois State on Monday. Sophomore Rayshaun Hammonds, who scored a career-high 31 points against the Redbirds, paces a trio of double-digit scorers in Georgia's frontcourt at 17.9 ppg. Nicolas Claxton is adding 14.3 ppg, and Derek Ogbeide is chipping in 10.3 ppg.

Clemson is a perfect 4-0 to date. Guards Marquise Reed and Shelton Mitchell lead the Tigers on the offensive end with scoring averages of 17.0 ppg and 15.5 ppg, respectively. Aamir Simms is contributing 13.5 ppg.

Series History With the Tigers

Georgia is 56-25 all-time against Clemson, including a 4-2 record at neutral sites.

The Bulldogs and Tigers last met in the 2016-17 season opener, with Clemson securing a 74-64 win at Littlejohn Coliseum.

Yante Maten led the Bulldogs with 19 points and 12 rebounds, his 36th career double-double. J.J. Frazier supplied 11 points and a team-best five assists.

The Tigers led for the duration of the contest and staved off all of the Bulldogs' attempts to get within striking distance.

William "Turtle" Jackson sank back-to-back 3-pointers to narrow the Tigers' lead to 51-48 with just over 10 minutes remaining. However, Clemson then went on an 11-2 run to push its lead back to 13.

Last Time Out...

Career-high point tallies from Rayshaun Hammonds and Nicolas Claxton led Georgia to an 80-68 win over Illinois State in the Cayman Islands Classic on Monday.

"Our guys really came out from the beginning, and they got it back on their heels which was going to be important for the team," head coach Tom Crean said. "They played quick, and they really shot the ball well. We knew they were going to make a run, and much like we have in the past, we were able to answer it, stop it and move forward. We are going to need every bit of that and even more for Clemson tomorrow."

Hammonds, Tye Fagan and Derek Ogbeide contributed to a 13-0 run to give Georgia a 16-2 early advantage before five minutes of the game elapsed.

The Bulldogs led 47-26 at the intermission, with Hammonds scoring 18 of Georgia's first-half points.

Early in the second half, four Bulldogs contributed to another stellar scoring run – this time a 10-0 swing. E'Torrion Wildridge, Fagan and Hammonds scored two points apiece. Claxton finished the surge with four points, including a dunk to give him double-digit points and a 63-40 lead at the 14:20 mark.

The Redbirds pulled within 11 points later in the second half; however, Georgia never let its lead dip into the single digits.

Fagan Gets First Nod

Freshman Tye Fagan secured his first career start against Illinois State and went on to play 36 minutes – the most PT any Bulldog has seen on the young season.

Fagan scored eight points for the third time in four games and also grabbed a season-most five rebounds.

The Dogs Are Drawing

Crowds of 9,018 and 7,195 attended Georgia's first two home games of the 2018-19 campaign. All told, that's 16,213 Bulldogs.

That is the largest two-game tally for the initial two outings at Stegeman Coliseum in 15 seasons.

In 2002-03, Georgia welcomed crowds of 8,643 for the season opener against Belmont and then drew 8,527 for the second home game of the campaign versus South Alabama – a combined tally of 17,170.

A Historic Opener

Georgia christened both the 2018-19 campaign and the Tom Crean era on Nov. 9 with an impressive evening on and off the court at Stegeman Coliseum.

The Bulldogs secured a 110-76 victory over Savannah State, Georgia's most points in a game in the 2000s.

The last time the Bulldogs scored more was in a 113-74 victory over Grambling on Nov. 27, 1999, at the Great Alaska Shootout.

A crowd of 9,018 fans turned out at Stegeman for the opener.

The last time the Bulldogs drew a larger crowd for their initial home outing was in 37 years ago in 1981, which was Dominique Wilkins' sophomore year. A then-capacity crowd of 11,200 turned out for a 62-61 win over Georgia Tech on Dec. 5, 1981.

That also represented the most fans for a home opener since the Stegeman Coliseum's capacity became 10,523 in 1994.

Also on the scoreboard front, Georgia's 59 first-half points were its most in a half since putting up 60 in the second period against Jacksonville State 11 years earlier to the day...on Nov. 9, 2007.

"First things first, I want to say thank you to everybody who was here for this," Crean said. "This is largest crowd on an opening night since they redid Stegeman Coliseum, and it was fun. It was fun to see the enthusiasm that people have had turn into bodies and live energy and loud fans tonight. That was tremendous. I want to say that first and foremost."

Bulldogs Set Sellout Record

The Tom Crean regime established an impressive attendance record before the Bulldogs ever setting foot on the Stegeman Coliseum floor.

Georgia sold out three regular-season games in October.

On Oct. 24, Georgia announced sellouts for both the Florida and Kentucky games. That represented the earliest sellout in Georgia Basketball history.

Two days later, the Bulldogs' matchup with Texas also became a sellout.

Prior to this year, Georgia had never sold out more than one home game prior to the season opener.

It's Games Time!

The Bulldogs will play six games in the first 13 days of the 2018-19 campaign.

That stretch began with the Nov. 9 season opener against Savannah State, a trip to Temple on Nov. 13 and a matchup with Sam Houston State on Nov. 16. The Bulldogs will complete the stretch with three games in three days on Grand Cayman.

Dogs' Lineup A Work In Progress

Georgia's starters in the matchup box on the previous page are just the same five players who got the nod against Illinois State. Tom Crean has been adamant that the lineup is anything but set.

"I've said to them, and it's going to be like this for a while, we don't have a starting five," Crean said after the season opener. "It's not coach-speak. In my mind, we don't have one. I don't think you can build a program and not have real competition.

"We had some very good individual nights, but we also have a lot of things that we can improve upon," Crean added. "That's the exciting thing because the things we need to improve upon are very correctable things – the free throw shooting, the decision making, the two-handed rebounds, the blocking out."

Bulldogs' Roster Loaded With Peach State Products

Nearly three-fourths of Georgia's roster – 11-of-15=.733 to be exact – played high school hoops in the Peach State.

The list includes: seniors Christian Harrison (Woodward Academy), William "Turtle" Jackson (Athens Christian School), Connor O'Neill (Blessed Trinity Catholic High) and Derek Ogbeide (Pebblebrook High); juniors Tyree Crump (Bainbridge High) and Jordan Harris (Seminole County High); sophomores Rayshaun Hammonds (Norcross High) and Teshaun Hightower (Collins Hills High); and freshmen Tye Fagan (Upson-Lee High); Amanze Ngumezi (Johnson High) and JoJo Toppin (Norcross High).

Ogbeide Already Ranks Among Bulldogs' Best Boarders Ever

Derek Ogbeide began his senior season with 614 rebounds and ranked No. 17 among the Georgia's career leaders.

Ogbeide ascended to the No. 16 during the Sam Houston State victory and enters today's game 16 away from James Banks, the current No. 15. Banks was MVP of the 1983 East Regional where Georgia defeated St. John's and North Carolina to reach the Final Four in Albuquerque.