- Saturday, February 27 1926 -
Southern Conference Tournament (at Atlanta, GA)
Kentucky - 39 (Head Coach: Ray Eklund) - [Final Rank ]
Player | FG | FT | FTA | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|
James McFarland | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
Gayle Mohney | 5 | 6 | 7 | 16 |
Lovell Underwood | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Paul Jenkins | 2 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
Burgess Carey | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Henry Besuden | 4 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
Charles Albert | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Totals | 14 | 11 | 15 | 39 |
Georgia - 34 (Head Coach: Herman J. Stegeman)
Player | FG | FT | FTA | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|
Nolen Richardson | 6 | 3 | 4 | 15 |
George Keen | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
George Florence | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Hoyt Turner | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
Mickey Frain | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
Walter Forbes | 1 | 2 | 5 | 4 |
Totals | 14 | 6 | 14 | 34 |
Prior Game | | | Next Game |
Virginia Military 32 - 25 | | | Mississippi A & M 26 - 31 |
Wildcats Nose Out Georgia, 39-34
CROWD OF 2,000 SEES KENTUCKY TRIM BULLDOGS
Blue and White Comes From Far Behind to Beat Old Rivals in Last Few Minutes of Play
MOHNEY, JENKINS, CAREY ARE STARS OF CONTEST
Wildcats to Meet Mississippi Aggies in Semi-Finals Monday Night
ATLANTA, Ga., Feb. 27. -- A bewildered crowd of 2,000 basketball fans tonight saw a team that apparently was soundly beaten come suddenly to life, draw up on ever terms with its opponent, and in the final few minutes of play, take a narrow lead which, matching goal with goal, it held until the final whistle ended one of the most exciting games ever played in a Southern Conference basketball tournament.
The winning team was that representing the University of Kentucky, and its opponent was the quintet from the University of Georgia, old rivals of the Wildcats. The final score was 39 to 34.
By capturing this contest, Kentucky's blue streaks of lightning won the right to enter the semi-final round of the tournament Monday night when, at 8 o'clock, they will attempt to take the measure of the Mississippi Aggies, who eliminated North Carolina State today 32 to 29 after two wild overtime periods of play.
Atlanta basketball fans, who always expect fireworks when Georgia and Kentucky tie up in a tournament, turned out by droves tonight to see the Blue and Red resume their annual argument. They weren't disappointed. The Kentuckians, with that one-point elimination by Georgia in 1924 still rankling under their blue shirts, and Georgia, which will never forget the loss of a championship to a blue-clad team in 1921 by the margin of one foul goal thrown after the final whistle had been blown, went at each other hammer and tongs.
Bulldogs Take Big Lead
It wasn't long until the Bulldogs had the Wildcats down, and also apparently out. In less than ten minutes, Georgia was leading 15 to 3 and the crowd was beginning to wonder by what rabbit's foot Kentucky went through a Southern conference season unbeaten.
Then the Wildcats began to realize that there was a basketball game going on. They began finding the hoops with more regularity and, although Georgia still was getting points, the Kentuckians had cut their opponent's lead to 25 to 16 before the first half ended.
Soon after the second half opened, Kentucky began to give Georgia a basketball lesson. With Mohney, Jenkins and Besuden leading the offensive and the whole team geared into high speed in floor work, the Wildcats started making points. With the score still 31 to 28 against them, Mohney connected for a beautiful goal from midfloor and a moment later Besuden, after a furious mix-up under the Georgia basket, got loose for a crip shot that gave Kentucky the lead, 32 to 31, for the first time since two minutes after the game started.
Wildcats Never Headed
The Wildcats were never headed thereafter. In the few remaining minutes the Bulldogs tried desperately to overhaul the boys from the Blue Grass, but Kentucky always matched goal for goal, with a few to spare, and an instant before the final whistle the speedy Mohney gave the contest a fitting finale with a brilliant one-handed ringer from the sidelines.
After the game the names of Mohney, Jenkins and Carey rang through the auditorium. Mohney and Jenkins, scoring 16 and six points respectively, are the best floor men seen here in several seasons, many of the sport writers say. Captain Carey also played one of the best games of his career, snagging the ball from the hoop time after time.
"Chuck" Alberts, substituting for McFarland, came through with one of the most unconscious shots of the the tourney when he looped in one over his head as he passed the goal post.
Those who have seen both teams lay say the Mississippi Aggies can't stop the Wildcats. The Aggies showed nothing unusual in their win over North Carolina State today and the Kentuckians are heavy favorites in the semi-final tilt.
Game Writeup - The Red and Black (March 5, 1926)
GEORGIA IS NOSED OUT OF TOURNAMENT BY KENTUCKY RALLY
After piling up a lead of nine points in the first half against Kentucky Saturday night in Atlanta the Bulldogs stood by in the second period and watched the Kentuckians forge slowly to the front to put them out of running in the S.I.C. tourney. It was the second time this season that the Wildcats have defeated Georgia.
The game marked the farewell appearance of Captain Nolan Richardson, Georgia's great forward, as a member of a Bulldog quintet. The Atlanta flash was watched closely by the Kentucky guards, but he navigated himself around them so cleverly that he managed to toss in six beautiful goals as his final contribution on the basketball floor to Georgia.
In the first half the Bulldogs gave the best exhibition of shooting that they have displayed this year. Led by Richardson they set so fast a pace that the Kentuckians were forced to take time out on three occasions At the end of the period the scoreboard showed Georgia leading 2-16, and apparently a certain opponent of the Mississippi Aggies in the semi-finals.
But the fighting Wildcats showed a complete reversal of form in the second half, in which they outscored the faltering Georgians 23-9. Point by point the Kentucky quint whittled away Georgia's lead until, with minutes of play remaining Mohney, who led the scoring of both fives with 16 points, placed his team in the van, 22-21, by a field goal. Georgia never regained her lost lead after that, for the Blue Grass quint forged on further ahead and increased its advantage to 39-24 before he final gun brought the Bulldog's 1926 season to an end.
Game Writeup - The Atlanta Constitution (February 28, 1926)
Tech and Georgia Basketball Fives Are Eliminated
It is rather hard to save Georgia and Georgia Tech for the tail-end feature of this yarn about a southern conference tournament, but it would be harder to place them elsewhere. Georgia had its game won from Kentucky allowed itself to be beaten only because its defense under the basket crumpled under the swift offensive of Mohney, the Wildcats' left forward.
As a matter of fact, the Kentucky team, as a whole, was slower than Georgia, but its stamina was greater, and Mohney was faster than any one member of the Bulldog squad. As a result he rattled shots off the Georgia backboard so fast that he counted 10 times field goals and caged six throws from the foul line.
Kentucky Hard Driven
The Georgia forwards had the tongues of the Kentucky guards hanging out during the first half of the game. They were whipped soundly, but their defense fell to pieces absolutely as the second half progressed. Georgia was defeated solely because its guard could not keep pace with the slashing attack of the Kentucky forwards.