ATHENS, Ga. - Kentavious Caldwell-Pope poured in a game-high 17 points and the University of Georgia held Furman to 32.7 percent shooting as the Bulldogs topped the Paladins, 64-50, in non-conference men's basketball action on Friday night at Stegeman Coliseum.
With the victory, Georgia improved to 7-5 on the season while Furman slipped to 6-6 with its second straight defeat.
Caldwell-Pope connected on 8-of-17 shots to lead four Bulldogs in double figures. Senior Gerald Robinson netted 13 points, Dustin Ware tallied 11 points and Donte Williams added 10 as Georgia shot 48.8 percent from the floor and made 16-of-17 foul shots.
The Bulldogs shot 52 percent from the field in the first half and used a 9-0 spurt to grab an 18-9 lead on Williams' slam with 9:58 left in the period. Georgia held Furman to 6-of-20 shooting in the first half while building a 34-23 halftime cushion.
Caldwell-Pope scored seven straight points for the Bulldogs early in the second half to extend the Georgia lead to 43-27, but Furman buried three consecutive triples, including two from freshman Jordan Loyd, to trim the margin to 43-36 with 12:20 to play. Caldwell-Pope followed with a pair of breakaway baskets and Sherrard Brantley answered a Richard Brown jumper with a trey to help Georgia begin a 17-5 run to pull away from the Paladins for good.
Senior Brandon Sebirumbi paced Furman with 10 points on the strength of a 6-for-6 effort from the foul line while Loyd added eight points. The Paladins managed to connected on 10-of-11 trips to the foul line, but made only 6-of-17 three-point attempts.
Georgia turned the ball over just nine times and turned 14 Furman miscues into 17 points. The Paladins held a 33-26 rebounding edge and outscored the Bulldogs 11-2 on second chance points.