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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) -- Georgia has gone from worst to first.
The improbable Bulldogs, who won just three Southeastern
Conference games a year ago, cemented their spot atop the league
standings with a 77-75, double-overtime victory over Tennessee (No. 5 ESPN/USA Today, No. 6 AP) on Saturday.
|  | | Robb Dryden and the Bulldogs could move back into the Top 25 after Saturday's win. |
Chris Daniels scored the winning basket on a layup with 7.3
seconds remaining, giving Georgia its first six-game winning streak
in the SEC since 1990 -- when the Bulldogs won their only
regular-season championship.
"We've got more fans, more support, more exposure, more
confidence," said Anthony Evans, Georgia's tour de force on the
inside. "This shows how far we've come compared to last year."
Georgia was coming off its worst season in 23 years: 10-20
overall and 3-13 in the SEC. But the Bulldogs survived a brutal
pre-conference schedule and have thrived in league play.
Georgia (13-7, 6-1 SEC) already defeated Florida and Mississippi on the road. But this was one of the biggest
victories in school history, the Bulldogs rallying from a 16-point
deficit in the first half and getting the winning basket in the
frantic final seconds.
Tennessee (17-3, 4-2) tied the score at 75 when Tony Harris
scored on a drive to the basket with 11.6 seconds remaining in the
second overtime. Daniels, believing Harris had missed, slipped away
from the Volunteers.
"When I saw Tony going to the hole, I could see the shot was
not going to go in," said Daniels, who still didn't realize
afterward that Harris actually tied the game. "So I took off."
Georgia quickly inbounded the ball and Rashad Wright found
Daniels alone at the other end of the court. The freshman hauled in
the long pass and laid it in, sending the first home sellout crowd
in two years into a frenzy.
"Thank God I made the layup," said Daniels, whose shot hung on
the rim for a split-second before dropping through. "I was worried
a little bit at first. I had to stand back to see if it went in."
Harris raced to the other end of the court as the clock wound
down, but his off-balance 3-pointer bounced off the rim and the
buzzer sounded.
The student section stormed on to the court to celebrate,
actually knocking the 6-foot-7, 265-pound Evans to the court.
"They didn't trample me or anything," Evans said, grinning.
"They just patted me on the back and lifted me up."
For Tennessee, it was a stunning loss. The Volunteers dominated
the first half, only to shoot a dismal 8-of-30 in the second half
to let the Bulldogs back in the game.
"We got in their shirts and guarded them like they've never
been guarded before," said Adrian Jones, one of Georgia's top
defenders. "I think they folded a little bit."
Tennessee coach Jerry Green couldn't figure out what happened to
his talented but enigmatic team.
"We make the game awfully hard sometimes," he said. "We
started holding the ball and taking tough shots."
D.A. Layne, who missed last-second shots that could have won the
game for Georgia in regulation and in the first overtime, led the
Bulldogs with 24 points. Isiah Victor paced Tennessee with 15
points and 13 rebounds.
Georgia, which has played the toughest schedule in the country,
will probably move back into the Top 25 for the first time since
early in the 1997-98 season when the new rankings come out.
Tennessee had won its last four meetings against Georgia by an
average margin of 17.5 points, and this one started out with the
makings of another rout.
Showing their inside-outside versatility, the Vols repeatedly
dunked over the Bulldogs and stepped outside to hit four
3-pointers. A 3 by Terrence Woods gave Tennessee its biggest lead,
42-26 with 2:32 left in the half.
Georgia scored the final three points of the period, then
focused during the break on stepping up its defensive pressure.
Tennessee did not react well to the Bulldogs' renewed intensity,
scoring only three times on its first 27 possessions of the second
half. Layne put Georgia ahead 51-49 on a 3-pointer with 9:36
remaining.
"We were stuck on 49 for what seemed like an eternity," Green
said.
The Vols also struggled at the foul line, making 7-of-16
attempts.
Georgia led 56-51 after Shon Coleman scored with 5:59 remaining,
but the Bulldogs squandered several chances to stretch their margin
with free throws.
The Bulldogs hit only three of their last seven attempts in
regulation, with Wright missing two that could have given the
Bulldogs a five-point lead with 1:19 remaining.
Harris responded with a 3-pointer, tying the game at 59.
The teams traded baskets in the final minute before Georgia was
left with a chance to win it at the end of regulation. Layne worked
into the lane, but his shot rolled off the rim at the buzzer,
sending the game to overtime at 61-61.
Layne made a brilliant defensive play to give the Bulldogs
another chance to win in the first overtime. He stripped the ball
from Vincent Yarbrough and flipped it to Wright before tumbling out
of bounds.
Georgia called a timeout to set up another play for Layne, but
his shot didn't even reach the rim as he was doubled up by the
Tennessee defense.
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ALSO SEE
Men's College Basketball Scoreboard
Tennessee Clubhouse
Georgia Clubhouse
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