CLEMSON, S.C. — Georgia men’s basketball nearly stole a preseason exhibition at Littlejohn Coliseum on Friday night, wiping out a late deficit before Clemson won 82-80 on a layup as time ran out.
The Bulldogs were down 80-73 with 1:11 to go and then scored seven straight points in 47 seconds. Blue Cain cut the gap to three with a layup after a Clemson turnover with 57 seconds left, and after James Scott pulled down an offensive rebound, Kanon Catchings buried a 3-pointer to tie the game with 13 seconds remaining.
Clemson still got the last word. Dylan Faulkner, a Calhoun, Georgia, native, missed a jumper, chased down his own rebound and dropped in a floater at the horn. Faulkner led all scorers with 21 points to go with seven boards and five assists, and Dallas Thomas added a career-best 18. Cole Certa chipped in 14 for Clemson, including a fadeaway from deep at the 2:48 mark that pushed the Tigers ahead by eight.
Georgia spent nearly the whole night chasing. The Tigers trailed for only 40 seconds, built a 41-34 halftime edge while holding the Bulldogs to 35.1 percent shooting in the first half, and stretched the lead to 11 with 13:29 left. Georgia answered with an 11-7 run to get within three with 8:27 remaining.
The free-throw line made the difference. Clemson went 28 of 37 from the stripe, while Georgia made 9 of 14. The Bulldogs were better from deep, hitting 11 of 34 from 3-point range compared with 6 of 28 for the Tigers. Clemson also coughed it up 13 times, often with its top ball handler on the bench.
The game did not count on either record. Clemson hosts Presbyterian in its second exhibition on Oct. 28 and opens its regular season Nov. 2 against Stetson.
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