ATHENS — Mike White knew the ceiling RJ Melendez brought when the 6-foot-7 forward transferred in from Illinois.

Melendez showed everyone what he can bring to the game when the ball comes his way, scoring 35 points to keep Georgia in the game against Florida in its 102-98 loss to the Gators on Saturday.

The Bulldogs outscored Florida by 16 points the 33 minutes Melendez was on the floor, as he drained 3-pointers, soared for layups and slammed down a momentum dunk.

White and Georgia (14-6, 4-3 SEC) are hoping to see more of that assertive style when the Bulldogs play host to Alabama (14-6, 6-1) at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

The Crimson Tide is coming off back-to-back hone wins over No. 8-ranked Auburn (79-75) and LSU (109-88).

Melendez, with his hot shooting and active defense, could be a different-maker against the Tide.

“RJ had his best game, active defensively, got some tips on the basketball, played with great energy, was constantly switching between bigs and guards throughout the game,” White said.

“Really had his motor going, had a pretty good balance offensively of attacking the rim and making jump shots.”

Melendez entered the game averaging 9.7 points per game but found his rhythm early in the game and didn’t slow down.

Melendez ability to hit the 3-point shot went beyond the scoreboard, as it helped to spread out the Florida defense and open up other lanes.

“When he’s making jump shots, which he does consistently in practice, it will come for him in games,” White said. “It ,makes him that much more of an effective driver putting pressure on the rim.”

Melendez, who is from Arecibo, Puerto Rico, played 54 games at Big Ten school Illinois, starting 19 of them as the Illini made back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances.

Melendez is one of three Georgia players averaging double-figure scoring (11.1), along with team captain Jabri Abdur-Rahim (13.4) and Noah Thomasson (11.9).

Freshman guard Silas Demary Jr. is just a bit off at 9.9 points per game after fouling out after playing just 18 minutes in Gainesville on Saturday.