Georgia will look to keep visiting LSU reeling when they meet in Southeastern Conference play on Tuesday in Athens, Ga.
The Bulldogs (15-10, 5-7 SEC) ended a three-game losing streak with a 75-68 win over visiting Kentucky on Saturday. LSU (12-13, 1-11) dropped its 12th straight game that day with a 74-62 setback at home to Texas A&M.
Under first-year coach Mike White, Georgia is the league’s most improved team after losing more games than any SEC team in league history last year when it finished 6-26.
LSU, however, has regressed under first-year coach Matt McMahon. The Tigers are mired in one of their longest losing streaks in program history a year after falling in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to finish 22-12.
The Tigers are under .500 for the first time since the 2016-2017 season, when a school-record 15-game losing streak led to them finishing 10-21.
The Bulldogs are coming off one of their biggest wins of the season.
After Kentucky rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit to take a 52-48 lead with 11:54 left, Georgia responded with a 11-2 run to take a 59-54 advantage following Braelen Bridges’ three-point play with 5:22 to go.
Kario Oquendo had 21 points and Bridges scored 10 of his 12 points in the second half against the Wildcats.
Justin Hill added 15 points and six assists for Georgia. Terry Roberts and Jabri Abdur-Rahim came off the bench to score nine points apiece in just the Bulldogs’ second win over the Wildcats in the past 18 meetings.
“We knew it was going to take the whole squad, so we just all picked each other up,” Bridges said. “Everybody picks everybody up. That’s our depth.”
LSU trailed the Aggies 19-2 less than nine minutes into the game before Texas A&M’s lead ballooned to 41-17 at halftime. While the Tigers pulled to within eight points several times in the second half, they couldn’t make the final push to overcome their poor start.
“I just don’t understand not coming out ready to play,” McMahon said. “We had some (offensive) looks early, we did not convert on those and it impacted our defensive energy intensity and attention to the game plan. We were unable to get stops and then it just snowballed.
“I appreciate the fans who stayed for the second half. I would have left at halftime.”
Adam Miller, who averages 11.9 points per game, scored 18 points, while Tyrell Ward was the only other Tiger who finished in double figures, with 15 points. KJ Williams, who averages a team-high 16.0 points per game, was held to five points on 2-for-5 shooting against the Aggies.
–Field Level Media
