ATHENS — Georgia’s Anthony “Antman” Edwards was flying high once again, taking over the game in the final minutes at Stegeman Coliseum.
Edwards scored 10 of his 23 points in the final four minutes — including four consecutive baskets — as the Bulldogs pulled away to beat Georgia Southern 73-64.
Edwards’ high-flying antics aside, fellow freshman Toumani Camara represented another half of a dynamic duo for the Bulldogs (8-3) on Monday night.
Camara scored a career-high 16 points on 8-of-8 shooting and pulled down a career-high 7 rebounds as UGA turned away the Eagles (8-5).
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Edwards was just 2-of-8 beyond the arc, but the 6-foot-5 projected NBA lottery pick knew his ace in the hole was getting to the basket.
Three of Edwards final five baskets came on spectacular dunks, including an alley-oop pass from Camara that brought the crowd of 10,412 to its feet.
Georgia improved to 7-0 at home this season, but not before George Southern threw a scare into them.
The Eagles matched their largest lead of the game at 51-44 with 10:58 left on Ike Smith’s 3-pointer and were in position to add to the lead when Smith missed an ensuing free throw and Carter Simeon rebounded.
UGA’s Jordan Harris, however, blocked Simeon’s shot attempt and hit a 3-pointer at the other end of the floor to ignite an 11-2 run.
Sahvir Wheeler (8 points, 7 assists, 4 turnovers) scored on consecutive possessions to cap the run.
Wheeler went coast-to-coast on one for one bucket. On the next trip down, the freshman pulled up in the lane for a jumper that gave the Bulldogs a 55-53 lead and triggered a Georgia Southern timeout with 8:36 remaining.
The teams traded the lead four times before Edwards took over the game with his 8-0 run, extending a 61-60 lead to 69-60 at the 1:48 mark.
Georgia Southern, led by Smith’s 25 points, held a 32-29 lead at the half.
The Bulldogs missed their final six shots of the first half and 12 of their last 15 before intermission.
Edwards had gotten the game off to a promising start for the Bulldogs, draining the first three shots as UGA raced out to a 7-0 lead.
The Eagles went on an 8-0 run midway through the first half, taking its first lead of the game 23-22 on a Smith jumper at the 7:11 mark.
The teams battled from there on before Edwards’ pivotal burst.
The Bulldogs return to action at 7 p.m. next Monday against Austin Peay in Stegeman Coliseum.
Anthony Edwards
Georgia basketball
