Asa Newell scored a game-high 17 points as Georgia ground out a 73-68 win over Grand Canyon at the Holiday Hoopsgiving event in Atlanta on Saturday to continue its best start since the 2001-02 season.

Somto Cyril scored 12 points and had eight rebounds. The 6-foot-11 freshman, a four-star recruit out of Overtime Elite in Atlanta, had five dunks. Tyrin Lawrence and Blue Cain added 10 points apiece for Georgia.

Ray Harrison led Grand Canyon with 16 points, Tyon Grant-Foster added 11 points, Lok Wur had 11 points and nine rebounds and Duke Brennan chipped in 10 points.

With 3:00 left in the game, Georgia (9-1) held a 66-56 lead. But Grand Canyon (6-3) went on a 7-0 run, capped by a layup from Jakobe Coles (nine points) on a 3-on-1 break to cut the Bulldogs’ lead to 66-63 with 1:24 left to play.

Newell made a layup and was fouled, completing the old-school 3-point play to put Georgia up 69-63. Harrison and Newell then traded a pair of free throws before Harrison’s 3-pointer with 6 seconds left cut the Bulldogs lead to 71-68.

But Lawrence iced the game for Georgia with two made free throws.

The Antelopes and Bulldogs traded buckets most of the first half until Georgia went on a 10-0 run punctuated by back-to-back layups from Dakota Leffew and Cain as the Bulldogs built their biggest lead of the first half at 33-20.

Georgia began to exert its will around the basket, as 24 of its 33 first-half points were in the paint. The Bulldogs dominated the Antelopes inside as they finished with a 42-28 advantage on points scored in the paint.

Harrison snapped the Antelopes’ scoring drought on a layup with 1:15 left in the first half as the Bulldogs held a 34-23 halftime lead.

A slick crossover move by Grant-Foster led to a tomahawk dunk as the Antelopes trailed 50-45 with 8:33 left in the game. The Antelopes again pulled to within five points at 55-50 when Wur, who entered with eight made 3-pointers on the year, connected on his third triple of the game.

–Field Level Media