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Georgia falls to Mississippi State 76-75 as tourney hopes take hit

On3 imageby:Jake Rowe•about 9 hours•

JakeMRowe

Georgia Basketball
Feb 8, 2025; Athens, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs forward RJ Godfrey (10) tries to get off a shot against Mississippi State Bulldogs guard Riley Kugel (2) during the first half at Stegeman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia badly needs to defend its home court effectively if it wants to break it’s NCAA tournament drought but it was unable to accomplish that on Saturday night. The Bulldogs fell 76-75 to Mississippi State, dropping to 16-8 on the year and 4-7 in SEC play.

Sophomore guard Silas Demary shined in the loss, scoring 23 points and tallying six rebounds and seven assists. Freshman forward Asa Newell had 16 points on five of eight from the floor. He hit three of four from downtown and grabbed four rebounds. Dakota Leffew and RJ Godfrey each reached double digits as well.

There were moments early on when Georgia looked as if it might try and take control but never came to pass. The Bulldogs grabbed a four-point lead six minutes into the game but Mississippi State had a deliberate yet effective answer. The Maroon Bulldogs slowly but surely chipped away, took the lead, and built it up to nine points.

Georgia, thanks to some hot shooting from Demary and Leffew, was able to climb back in it. It pulled back to within two points but Mississippi State gave UGA a preview of what was to come. As soon as the home Bulldogs got close, the visiting Bulldogs pulled away. By the time halftime arrived, Georgia was trailing by eight.

Mike White’s team started the second half hot, going on an 8-0 run to tie the game but, for the second time, MSU recaptured the momentum. It started a see-saw battle in the second half with the home Bulldogs going on runs long enough to pull close or even and the visiting Bulldogs responding by pulling away.

All in all, Georgia was unable to overcome MSU’s 46 points in the paint. Each time UGA would pull even and get the crowd into it, Mississippi State would go back to what was working, pushing the pace and beating White’s crew back down the court for easy baskets.

UGA had it’s chances in the final minutes, none better than when Demary grabbed a rebound and attempted to take it coast to coast for a look at the game winner. But he dribbled it off his foot deep into the Bulldogs’ end of the court, the ball bounced directly to a Mississippi State defender, and Georgia was forced to foul with one second left in the game.

The visiting Bulldogs made just six of 18 free throws on the night, leaving the door open for Georgia to take advantage, but stops were tough to come by as MSU shot a back-breaking 55.2 percent from the field.

Georgia is back on the road for it’s next game, traveling to Texas A&M on Tuesday, February 11. Tip is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET on the SEC Network. The Aggies are ranked No. 10 in the latest AP Poll.

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