ATHENS, Ga. (Interstat) — Blue Cain scored 20 points and Georgia pulled away in the second half to beat Presbyterian 91-77 in a men’s NCAA Division I basketball game Friday at Stegeman Coliseum. Cain, a 6-foot-5, 195-pound guard from Knoxville, Tennessee, who previously played at IMG Academy, added four rebounds and three assists in 30 minutes for the Bulldogs. Georgia improved to 2-0, while Presbyterian dropped to 0-2. Attendance was 5,777.

Georgia never trailed after Kareem Stagg opened the scoring with a 3-pointer 36 seconds into the game. The Bulldogs built an early lead as Cain made a layup, Marcus Millender scored twice and Stagg hit another 3-pointer. Presbyterian answered with a Wilson floater and a Parrish 3-pointer, but Georgia kept its cushion as Osasuyi made free throws, Millender connected from beyond the arc and Scott scored inside. Peterson made two free throws and a layup for the Blue Hose, while Dunlap and Erik Taylor traded 3-pointers. Cain stayed active with a turnaround jumper and later a dunk, and Hackworth scored twice inside for Presbyterian. Smith made two free throws and Chiakwelu added a dunk before Dilione converted a three-point play for Georgia. Parrish made free throws and Peterson dunked to keep Presbyterian close, while Stagg scored a layup and Catchings hit a first-half 3-pointer. Georgia led by double digits at halftime after Dilione’s driving layup in the closing seconds of the first half.

Presbyterian opened the second half with Peterson’s layup and later got a layup from Chiakwelu and a driving layup from Parrish. Georgia responded with a Cain 3-pointer, a Peterson layup and free throws from Stagg. Hackworth scored inside again, but Osasuyi answered with a dunk and Dunlap hit a 3-pointer to keep the Bulldogs in front. Wilson made a free throw and a layup for the Blue Hose, and Dilione made two free throws. Hudson scored on a floating jumper before Scott dunked for Georgia. Parrish made a 3-pointer, Cain answered with a layup and King made two free throws for Presbyterian. Hudson added a layup, but Catchings converted a tip-in and Cain hit a 3-pointer to stretch Georgia’s lead. Marcus Millender hit a stepback jumper early in the second half, and Catchings converted a three-point play.

The decisive response came after Presbyterian trimmed the margin to 76-65 on two Wilson free throws with 7:08 remaining. Georgia scored on a Kuany 3-pointer, a Cain layup, a Millender 3-pointer and a Millender layup to push the lead to 86-69. Cain’s driving layup with 2:36 left made it 90-72, and Osasuyi added a late free throw as Georgia closed out the win. Wilson kept working for Presbyterian with a stepback jumper and two free throws, and he finished the scoring with a layup in the final seconds. The Bulldogs closed with a 14-point victory at home.

Presbyterian, which lost its season opener to Saint Thomas of Minnesota, was led by Wilson and Peterson. Georgia, which opened with a win over North Carolina Central, got eight points and nine rebounds from Osasuyi in nine minutes. The Blue Hose made 24 free throws and stayed within reach until the final eight minutes, but the Bulldogs answered with the decisive burst. Georgia led by as many as 18 points in the second half before Presbyterian closed the final margin. Presbyterian next plays at North Carolina State, and Georgia hosts Florida Gulf Coast.

Triston Wilson finished with 18 points, six rebounds and five assists in 33 minutes for Presbyterian. The 6-foot-6, 205-pound guard previously played at Miami Norland Senior. Jaylen Peterson added 16 points and four rebounds in 32 minutes for the Blue Hose; the 6-foot-8 forward previously played at Greenforest-McCalep Christian Academy. Andrew Osasuyi had eight points and nine rebounds in nine minutes for Georgia; the 6-foot-10, 205-pound forward previously played at College Basket Borgomanero. Carl Parrish scored 17 points in 34 minutes for Presbyterian; the 6-foot-3, 170-pound guard also previously played at Miami Norland Senior. James Scott contributed five points, seven rebounds, one assist and three blocks in 26 minutes for Georgia; the 6-foot-11 forward previously played at E.E. Smith High School. Langston Hackworth added eight points and six rebounds in 15 minutes for the Blue Hose; the 6-foot-10, 240-pound forward previously played at Andrew Jackson Senior High School. Freddie Dilione scored 10 points with three rebounds and four assists in 24 minutes for Georgia; the 6-foot-5 guard previously played at Word of God Christian Academy. Brady Dunlap had nine points and three rebounds in 14 minutes for the Bulldogs; the 6-foot-8, 200-pound forward previously played at Harvard-Westlake. Kareem Stagg added 10 points, one rebound and one assist in 20 minutes for Georgia; the 6-foot-8, 230-pound forward previously played at IMG Academy.

Georgia scored 91 points on 66 possessions, an offensive rating of 137.3, while Presbyterian scored 77 points on 67 possessions, an offensive rating of 114.6. The Bulldogs shot 32 of 67 from the floor, 10 of 26 from 3-point range and 17 of 28 from the free-throw line. The Blue Hose shot 24 of 48 from the field, 5 of 16 from beyond the arc and 24 of 32 from the line. Georgia held a 17-9 edge in offensive rebounds, a 9-2 advantage in assists and a 4-3 edge in blocks. Presbyterian committed 13 turnovers to Georgia’s three, and the Blue Hose were whistled for 20 fouls to Georgia’s 24.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Georgia 80, Presbyterian 74. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Georgia with a 98.4 percent probability to win. Georgia had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus 25.5. The total score of 168 went under the over/under line of 156.5.