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USC headed to Athens hoping bounce back from a demoralizing upset loss to the UC Irvine Anteaters on Thursday, but the Georgia Bulldogs had other plans, downing the Trojans 64-56 on Saturday morning.
The Trojans (4-8) held the lead for a majority of the first half, leading by as many as six points with 3:48 to play, but a, 8-3 run at the end of the half pulled the Bulldogs to within a point at intermission.
Georgia (4-7) carried that positive momentum into the second half, opening with a 12-4 run that put them up by nine points in less than four minutes of play. The Bulldogs' nine-point cushion proved to be too much for the Trojans to overcome, as they only managed to pull within three points before Georgia closed them out down the stretch.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope led the way for the Bulldogs with 24 points and five rebounds. The sophomore guard had an excellent day from the field, making 10 of his 14 shots. Georgia center John Cannon added 10 points and seven rebounds, while forward Brandon Morris added 10 points of his own.
The Trojans were paced by 14 points and 11 rebounds from backup center Omar Oraby. Senior forward Eric Wise led all Trojans starters with 12 points. Jio Fontan and J.T. Terrell scored eight points apiece in the loss.