What Happened

ATHENS, Ga. – Sophomore guard Silas Demary Jr. poured in 21 points, while freshman forward Asa Newell contributed 15 points along with key rebounds that led to late free throws, helping Georgia withstand a furious rally from third-ranked Florida. Despite briefly surrendering the lead, the Bulldogs delivered clutch plays down the stretch to secure an 88-83 upset in Tuesday night’s SEC matchup at Stegeman Coliseum.

For Florida, the loss ended a six-game winning streak and dealt a setback to its pursuit of a No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed. For Georgia, the victory marked the program’s first over a top-three opponent in 21 years, celebrated with a student court storm, and snapped a 12-game losing streak in the rivalry dating back to 2020.

It was also the first win in seven attempts for Georgia coach Mike White against the program he departed in 2022 to take the Bulldogs’ job.

Florida, which hadn’t lost since Feb. 1 at Tennessee, was led by senior guard Will Richard, who scored a career-high 30 points and knocked down five 3-pointers. Senior guard Walter Clayton Jr. added 18 points, but no other Gator reached double figures. UF finished at 40.9 percent shooting overall, including just 36.4 percent in the opening half, when Georgia seized control and forced Florida into a night of chasing.

The Gators trailed by 26 with just over seven minutes left in the first half but began to chip away. The deficit was cut to 16 at halftime, then to 10 with 11 minutes remaining, and seven inside of six minutes. Georgia still led 78-67 with three minutes left before Florida rattled off 13 straight points, capped by a steal and fast-break layup from sophomore forward Thomas Haugh that gave UF its first lead at 79-78. Fifth-year guard Alijah Martin added one of two free throws to extend the margin to two with 1:08 left.

That’s when Georgia’s Blue Cain (12 points, 6 rebounds) buried a 3-pointer with 48 seconds remaining to swing momentum back to the Bulldogs, sparking a decisive 10-3 closing run.

Newell, projected as a first-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, finished 4-for-9 from the field with eight rebounds and hit free throws at 21.6 and 10.2 seconds to cushion the lead. Demary, who connected on four 3-pointers, sealed the win with two free throws at 5.5 seconds after Clayton had briefly kept Florida alive with three free throws at 6.4 seconds.

Ultimately, Georgia’s blistering first-half offense set the tone. Ranked 14th in the SEC in scoring, the Bulldogs shot 68 percent in the opening period, including seven of nine from beyond the arc (77.8 percent), building a 26-point advantage at 39-13 — Florida’s largest deficit of the season.

Sophomore Alex Condon (21), in his first game for the Gators in two weeks, has issues down low against Bulldogs' leaping center Cyril Somto (6).