ATHENS, Ga. - University of Georgia forward Trey Thompkins is one of the most heralded young players in the SEC. On Friday night, he showed why.
The 6-10, 247-pound sophomore had 25 points and 12 rebounds as the host-Bulldogs controlled the boards in a 67-59 win over visiting New Orleans at Stegeman Coliseum.
Thompkins had 16 points in the first half, and the Bulldogs (1-0) got 12 points from reserve forward Jeremy Price to help the hosts claim the win for first-year head coach Mark Fox.
Sophomore guard Charles Carmouche had a career-high 20 points for the Privateers (0-1), and junior center Jaroslav Tyrna had 16 points and seven rebounds.
But UNO could not overcome a 41-27 rebound advantage for Georgia. The effort helped the Bulldogs score 17 second-chance points while UNO was shut out.
The Privateers also struggled from the field in the second half, shooting 30 percent. UNO shot 38 percent overall.
Along with Carmouche and Tyrna, the Privateers got a shot in the arm from senior Billy Humphrey. The Chicago native, who played three seasons at Georgia before transferring in 2008, scored 11 points and played 31 minutes just two weeks after arthroscopic knee surgery.
The Privateers had a shot at the upset. UNO trailed 34-32 at halftime before an 11-4 run to start the second frame gave the Privateers a 43-38 lead with 17:22 to play.
UNO led for the next six minutes before Georgia took a 46-45 edge thanks to a Drazen Zlovaric jumper with 11 minutes to play.
The score was part of an 11-0 run that put UNO behind 51-45 following a Thompkins layup with 9:51 remaining.
The Privateers got it within two on two different occasions, including a Tyrna 3-pointer with 2:05 to play. But Georgia went 7-for-8 at the free-throw line in the final minute to ice it.
UNO will make its Lakefront Arena debut at 7 p.m. on Thursday against Southern-New Orleans. For ticket information, please call 504-280-GAME or log on to UNOPrivateers.com.
