ATHENS, Ga. --- The Mark Fox era in Georgia basketball lore began with a victory, as the Bulldogs defeated the visiting New Orleans Privateers 67-59 in front of a boisterous crowd of 6,395 at Stegeman Coliseum. The win gives Georgia a 1-0 record on the year (1-0, 0-0 SEC) and drops New Orleans’s mark to 0-1 (0-1, 0-0 Sun Belt).

"It was a good game and it was a good game for us," said Fox. "We need experiences like that, and I was pleased that our kids played well in the last four minutes of the game and am fortunate for the win."

Leading the way for the Bulldogs was sophomore forward Trey Thompkins, who had 25 points and 12 rebounds on a 7-11 shooting night, to go along with 3-5 on three-pointers. Also in double figures for the Bulldogs was junior center Jeremy Price, who notched 12 points and grabbed three boards.

Starting guard Travis Leslie found himself in early foul trouble, a situation that opened the door for sophomore forward Drazen Zlovaric to see his first significant minutes as a Bulldog. Zlovaric registered six points and showed great hustle in twenty five minutes of action, the second only to Thompkins’s 32 minutes.

An interesting subplot of tonight’s contest was the return of former Georgia guard Billy Humphrey, who transferred to New Orleans during the 2008-2009 school year. Humphrey scored 11 points and grabbed four boards off the bench for the Privateers. Leading New Orleans in scoring was sophomore guard Charles Carmouche, who notched 20 points and four rebounds. Junior center Jaroslav Tyrna added 16 points and seven rebounds.

Next up for the Bulldogs are the visiting Wofford Terriers, who come to Athens on Tuesday, November 17 at 7:00 p.m. The game can be viewed live online on GXtra or heard on the Georgia Bulldogs Radio Network.