NASSAU, The Bahamas — The Georgia men’s basketball team wrapped up competition at the Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas Championships as it fell 71-64 against Providence at the Baha Mar Convention Center on Sunday.
Noah Thomasson led the Bulldogs (2-3) in scoring with 19 points, posting 14 in the first half paired with five rebounds on the day. RJ Melendez followed up on the scoring list with 15 points and five rebounds powered by nine second half points and three steals. Jalen DeLoach provided a solid effort off the bench as he led the team in rebounds with six boards while logging six points.
The Bulldogs established an early back-and-forth battle as both teams exchanged leads five times heading into the first media timeout. Trailing 30-25 with 3:15 remaining in the first half, Georgia responded with a 9-2 run to lead 34-32 heading into the locker room. A close game with under 10 minutes left in the second half, Georgia hit five quick points to level the score at 50-50 before Providence strung together a series of short runs to lead by five with 2:23 left in the game. Despite a late 6-2 run to cut the deficit to 65-64 with under a minute left to play, the Bulldogs’ comeback bid fell short as they fell 71-64.
The Bulldogs will return to Athens as their next game will see them face off against Winthrop on Friday, Nov. 24 at Stegeman Coliseum with tip-off scheduled for 5 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network+.
Five Fast Facts
• Noah Thomasson reached double figures in scoring and tallied five rebounds for the third time this season.
• RJ Melendez marked his third career 15+ point performance after finishing with 15 points on the day.
• RJ Melendez recorded a season-high three steals on the day, matching his career high set against Maryland last season.
• Jabri-Abdur Rahim made three 3-pointers in a game for third time this season (vs Oregon, vs Wake Forest, vs Providence).
• Three players recorded 5+ rebounds for the fifth-consecutive game this season: DeLoach (6), Thomasson (5), Melendez (5).
Key Quote
Head Coach Mike White: “I liked our competitiveness here against two really good teams. Again, I thought Providence was terrific today being shorthanded with their resilience and toughness level. We did a lot of good things today. We’ve got to do a better job obviously with our offensive connection and role definition, and that starts with me. We’ve got to figure some things out, but we’re good at times and at times we look disconnected offensively.”