Georgia misses go-ahead attempts in final seconds, falls at LSU
Georgia dropped another game on the road Tuesday night, falling to LSU 67-66 in Baton Rouge. The Bulldogs missed a pair of go-ahead attempts in the final seconds of action, and while the officiating of those plays and no calls might make storylines, the result is the same as it has been all too often nonetheless.
Noah Thomasson and Justin Hill were the lone Georgia players to reach double figures, doing so with 16 and 11 respectively. Meanwhile, for LSU, Jordan Wright (17) and Will Baker (12) led the Tigers in the revenge game of the earlier meeting this season.
“Just tough. You know, we needed a stop and a score, and we didn’t get a stop. We fouled, they didn’t foul. That’s it. We put a lot of pressure on the rim. Justin Hill and Noah Thomasson I thought did a really good job. The extra possession created by Dylan James’ activity was a heck of a play,” Georgia head coach Mike White said about the late-game looks the Bulldogs got with a chance to take the lead. “… They’re a really good defensive team playing at home and they were prepared. They guarded our actions really well throughout the game, and in the first half, they kept us off balance … Credit them, forced a few late clock or ones that were deep, not overly clean looks, but we missed a few clean looks as well. That’s life on the road in the SEC these days.”
“I’m hurt for our guys,” he added. “You know, tough environment in a locker room right now ’cause our guys laid it on the line and played as hard as they’ve played all year. In many ways I thought we deserved that win, but LSU did, too. Those guys are playing their best basketball of the year. They made a lot of plays. Tough loss for us. Good win for LSU.”
How It Happened…
Georgia produced its lowest scoring total in the first half of an SEC game with just 27 points before the break. Shooting just 2-of-16 from 3-point range, no UGA player put up more than seven points (Noah Thomasson) and just three (Thomasson, Silas Demary and Dylan James) made multiple shots from the field.
Lucky for the Bulldogs, they were still in it enough to where a strong second half gave them a lead. Trailing by as many as 15, UGA used six scoring streaks to regain the lead with 5:38 to go on a 3-pointer from Thomasson. Justin Hill contributed a pair of 3-pointers of his own while the help of LSU’s cooled-off shooting certainly changed things.
Georgia and LSU traded the lead twice with a tie thrown in there, but a third 3-pointer of the half from Hill put UGA back ahead with under 3:00 to go. However, a turnover and Tyrell Ward layup put the Tigers back on top with 2:05 remaining.
Hill came through clutch once again with a tough finish at the rim with just 29 seconds on the clock. That once again gave Georgia the lead, but a foul sent Will Baker to the free throw stripe where he put the Tigers back on top. On the other end of the floor, UGA was able to get off a pair of attempts at the win, but both attempts came up empty.
Georgia, now 15-13 overall and 5-10 in the SEC, returns to Stegeman Coliseum on Saturday as the Bulldogs host Texas A&M. It’s the first of back-to-back home games, the second versus Ole Miss on Tuesday, before heading to Auburn to cap off the regular season. Tip time against the Aggies is set for 6:00 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.
