Noah Thomasson scores 24 points as Georgia defeats Winthrop 78-69

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Noah Thomasson had 24 points, Justin Hill scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half and Georgia beat Winthrop 78-69 on Friday night.

Georgia led 55-41 with 12:39 left on a three-pointer from Hill, but Winthrop scored 12 of the next 14 points to get within four points. The Eagles were as close as 64-60 with 4:54 left before RJ Melendez made a layup and Thomasson hit a contested 3-pointer on Georgia’s next possession to increase the lead to nine points.

Thomasson added another 3-pointer from almost the same spot on the court to make it 72-63. He added a layup with 27.4 points left for a 74-67 lead.

Jabri Abdur-Rahim scored all 10 points in the first half for Georgia (3-3).

Thomasson and Abdur-Rahim combined for 22 of Georgia’s 36 points in the first half. The Bulldogs ended the first half with a 14-4 run and went into the break with a seven-point lead despite shooting just 39%. Winthrop was 12 of 26 from the field (46%) but was outrebounded 22-13 and made seven fewer free throws.

Kelton Talford scored 19 points for Winthrop (4-3). Kasen Harrison added 14 points and KJ Doucet had 10.

Georgia plays Florida State in the ACC/SEC Challenge on Wednesday. Winthrop will face NCCAA member Bob Jones on Tuesday.