There were many storylines surrounding Tyrin Lawrence on Saturday, March 8, as Georgia hosted Vanderbilt in the regular season finale.
The former Morgan County standout played his last game for the Bulldogs at Stegeman Coliseum. It was against the Commodores, whom he had previously played for under former coach Jerry Stackhouse before transferring.
Lawrence tuned out the noise, as he was one of four players to score in double digits for Georgia (20-11, 8-10) during a 79-68 win over Vanderbilt (20-11, 8-10).
Lawrence joked with reporters after the game that he couldn’t let his former team beat him on his Senior Day.
“[I was doing] whatever was necessary to get the win for bragging rights,” Lawrence said. “I got a few still over there that I talk to every day, so I couldn’t let them go home with the win.”
Georgia ended the regular season on a strong note, although the Bulldogs’ victory wasn’t always guaranteed. During the game, they struggled to keep pace with Vanderbilt, as both teams were tied 39-39 at the half.
Georgia head coach Mike White thought his team struggled defensively in the first half.
“We addressed it at halftime,” White explained. “I didn’t think we were as sharp defensively as we needed to be to beat them, and I thought in the second half, we simply played really, really hard.”
Georgia established a 54-46 advantage with 15:21 remaining in the game, as Asa Newell, Somto Cyril, Silas Demary Jr., and others powered the offense. However, the Commodores didn’t give up and fought back. They went on an 8-0 run, narrowing the Bulldog lead to just two points, but that’s as close as they got.
Lawrence recognized that Georgia’s early second-half effort was the difference. He said Cyril brought the energy and effort, which gave the Bulldogs an edge despite the Commodores’ attempt to come back.
“He changed the game, and it was big for us,” Lawrence said. “Luckily, we were able to feed off of it.”
A 3-pointer from Dakota Leffew and a trio of made free throws by Lawrence sparked a 15-0 response for Georgia over the next few minutes. The Bulldogs held a commanding 73-56 lead over Vanderbilt with 3:47 left.
Georgia managed to put the game away and strengthen its chances of making the NCAA Tournament with the win.
Newell and Demary Jr. both scored a team-high 15 points, followed by Leffew with 14, while Lawrence added 13. The Morgan County graduate also grabbed five rebounds and two steals on Senior Day.
Georgia competed in the SEC Tournament this week. On Sunday, the Bulldogs will find out if they are chosen to play in the NCAA Tournament’s 68-team field. They haven’t made the tournament since the 2014-15 season.