This article was originally published with The Red & Black on November 20, 2015 and can be found here. 

A clear pattern has emerged from Georgia’s first two games of the season.

When Georgia doesn’t have Kenny Gaines in the game, problems ensue. Gaines found himself in foul trouble early in the season opener against Chattanooga. The result was only 16 minutes of action for the senior guard in the Bulldogs’ overtime loss to the Mocs.

Friday’s matchup with Murray State showed how beneficial his being on the court is for the Bulldogs. Gaines set a new career high by scoring 35 of the Bulldogs’ 63 points. His efforts were enough to lead Georgia to a 63-52 victory over the Racers.

“Kenny Gaines had a career night because he played within himself,” Georgia head coach Mark Fox said. “I thought he was overly aggressive the other night and the new rules got him in foul trouble. He was really determined to play well tonight.”

The outing by Gaines was sorely needed, as the rest of the Bulldogs were inconsistent in the victory. Georgia was unable to capitalize on a 12-minute scoring drought for the Racers in the first half due to its own inability to deliver points. In the end, only one other Georgia player — sophomore Yante Maten —managed to hit more than one shot from the field.

For Maten, the focus wasn’t on what went wrong for Georgia. The Racers’ defense did its job to limit looks in the post, forcing the Bulldogs to go elsewhere with the ball. That gave Gaines the chance to get several looks as the game progressed. He made the most of it and delivered shot after shot.

“He just looked like he was shooting the ball in the ocean,” Maten said. “He was making it look so easy scoring. He was reading what the defense was giving him. He let the offense come to him and let it flow.”

Gaines delivered his biggest shot with about 4 minutes left in the second half. With the Bulldogs trailing 50-48, the momentum was edging its way to the Murray State side. That is, of course, until Gaines dropped a 3-pointer to help the Bulldogs regain the lead. He followed that shot up with another 3-pointer less than a minute later to pad a lead the Bulldogs would not surrender.

Gaines’ mindset on the game-turning shot was to simply take what the defense offered.

“If you’re open, just shoot it,” Gaines said.  “I had a little opening, so I took the shot and it went in.”

Gaines also pointed towards his experience in the career night. As Murray State tried to stifle his game, he felt the game slow down tremendously, allowing him to find the screens as his teammates set them. He also didn’t let the pressure-packed moments at the end deter him; as a senior, he’s no stranger to being called upon at clutch time.

His experience showed in a move that sealed Georgia’s win. With under a minute to go, the Racers mishandled the ball, sending it rolling towards half court. Gaines leaped towards the ball and gained possession, but that wasn’t the highlight of the play. He quickly signaled for a timeout amidst a swarming pack of Murray State players, ensuring that Georgia would keep possession and drain more precious clock.

Gaines chalked up the reaction to the situations Fox had exposed him to in the past.

“That’s just something we’ve practiced,” Gaines said. “Trying to get the 50-50 ball. I knew it was critical, so I just wanted to make the right play.”

It was not a night that many Georgia players will remember fondly. The team shot 30 percent from the field and were unable to cause much ruckus with the Racers. Still, the performance from Gaines was enough to seal the team’s first victory of the season. While the Bulldogs will certainly work in the coming weeks to add to its one-man show, the victory on Gaines’ shoulders will not soon be forgotten.

“I think it was a pretty big deal,” Maten said. “No one [else] was scoring consistently throughout the game. Kenny held us up.”