FULLERTON, Calif. — Turtle Jackson scored 14 of his career-high 16 points in the second half, rallying Georgia past Cal State Fullerton 64-57 in the opening round of the Wooden Legacy on Thursday night.
The Bulldogs (4-0) trailed the entire game until Nicolas Claxton’s tip-in with 8:53 remaining. They pulled away over the final 6 1/2 minutes when preseason SEC player of the year Yante Maten scored 13 of his 15 points after being limited by two fouls in the first half.
Kyle Allman scored a career-high 34 points, making 13 of 15 free throws, to lead Fullerton (1-3), which never led by more than six points while playing on its home floor.
After huge losses in two of their first three games, the Titans played tough defence, using full-court pressure, double teams and flying around the court to stick hands in the Bulldogs’ faces. Georgia had its worst shooting performance of the season at 42 per cent.
Allman’s 3-pointer left Fullerton trailing 49-48, but the Titans got no closer.
BIG PICTURE
The Bulldogs are playing their first road games of the season. Last season, they notched wins at Georgia Tech, Auburn, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Alabama, and took ranked Kentucky and Florida to overtime before losing.
Cal State Fullerton got blown out to start the season, losing by 42 at No. 10 Southern California and by 19 at No. 21 Saint Mary’s, before inflicting similar damage on Bethesda in a 42-point victory.