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CHICAGO (AP) -- Jarvis Hayes got warmed up and Georgia's offense
started to roll. But Rashad Wright's defense was just as important
for the Bulldogs as they beat Murray State in the East Regional.
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Georgia and Jimmy Harrick got a tussle from the Murray State Racers. The Ohio Valley Conference champs put up a tough battle, but when it was said and done, Jarvis Hayes made one big play after another to spark the Bulldogs to a victory.
Jarvis' twin, Jonas Hayes, came through with a double-double. Everyone expects the productivity from Jarvis, but Jonas coming through in a big-time way was a huge key to Georgia's victory.
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Hayes had 20 of his career-high 31 points in the second half
Friday to lead Georgia to an 85-68 victory as the Bulldogs rallied
from an early 14-point defict.
Wright shut down Murray State's hot-shooting Justine Burdine,
who hit four 3-pointers in the first 7 minutes of the game, but had
only seven second-half points.
"His defense on Burdine I thought was the single-most
difference in the game," Georgia coach Jim Harrick said. "His
defense in the second half was, I thought, outstanding.
"Point guards help you in the NCAA Tournament, believe me. They
can take you a long way if they continue to play that way."
Third-seeded Georgia (22-9) scored the final 12 points and moves
on to face No. 11 seed Southern Illinois (27-7) on Sunday. The
Salukis downed Texas Tech 76-68 and sent coach Bob Knight home with
another first-round loss.
Cuthbert Victor's 3-pointer with 3:38 left got the Racers within
five, but Hayes hit another jumper, Chris Daniels converted a
three-point play and also dunked in the closing 12-0 spurt.
Wright added 16 points and 10 assists for the Bulldogs and Jonas
Hayes, Jarvis' brother, scored 14 and grabbed 14 rebounds.
"It's my first NCAA Tournament. I had a lot of emotion before
the game and I wanted to come out and make a statement. It's my
first time here and I was excited," said Jarvis Hayes, who hit
14-of-22 shots.
"We didn't want them to get back into the game late. We felt we
had the game in hand. Every time they made a shot, we wanted to
counter it so they wouldn't get the momentum back."
Victor scored 23 and Justine Burdine had 21 for the Racers
(19-13).
Burdine came out shooting, hitting three 3-pointers in the first
4 minutes and scoring 11 points before the Bulldogs could check his
quickness.
Burdine's fourth 3 made it 25-11 before the Bulldogs began to
peck away with their defense and inside game against a shallow
Murray State bench depleted by injuries.
"We were trying to jump on those guys early. We got off to a
fast start, but coach Harricks made some changes and they weathered
the storm," Burdine said.
"They switched and put No. 3 (Wright) on me and he got me off
my rhythm."
Ezra Williams scored after a steal and pass from Jarvis Hayes
and then connected on a 3-pointer, priming a 27-8 run by the
Bulldogs as they cooled off Burdine -- who had 14 first-half points --
and took a 42-39 halftime lead behind a 25-17 rebounding edge.
Jarvis Hayes had a pair of 3-pointers and another jumper to
spark a 16-5 run that allowed the Bulldogs to open a nine-point
lead in the second half.
"They wore us down," said Murray State coach Tevester
Anderson, whose team had won 10 of 11 entering the tournament.
"We knew if we got off to a great start, we'd have a chance.
Some of those shots you find are fool's gold and once your legs get
tired, you can't make them."
Murray State fell to 1-11 in NCAA Tournament play, its lone win
coming over N.C. State in 1988.
Georgia is making its second straight appearance under coach
Harrick and Friday's victory was the school's first in the NCAA
Tournament since 1996.
Harrick has coached a team in the NCAA Tournament 16 times
during stints at Pepperdine, UCLA, Rhode Island and now Georgia.
Harrick led the Bruins to a national title in 1995.
"You can win games at home, you can win games on the road,"
Harrick said.
"There's nothing like winning an NCAA Tournament game. That is
so very, very special in your life and your career." | 
