Mississippi State
Georgia
Georgia Continues Tourney Run, Upsets MSU In SEC Semifinals
March 15, 2008 | Men's Basketball
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ATLANTA, Ga. - Playing their second game of the day after ousting second-seeded Kentucky earlier in the day, the sixth-seeded Georgia Bulldogs (16-16) pulled another upset with a 64-60 victory over the top-seeded Mississippi State Bulldogs (22-10) Saturday evening to become the first-ever No. 6 seed to advance to the Southeastern Conference Tournament finals.
UGA had met UK earlier in the day after that quarterfinal-round game was postponed late Friday night due to a violent storm that ripped through downtown Atlanta. The storm had also delayed the MSU-Alabama game for over an hour as the teams were playing in overtime.
Saturday night's semifinal was an uphill battle for State from the beginning, as UGA jumped out to an early 15-4 lead. MSU managed to chew its way back throughout the first half, as several Georgia players got into foul trouble. The game was tied 33-33 at halftime.
Near the 12-minute mark of the second period, State's Barry Stewart nailed his third-straight three-pointer to hand State a 52-50 lead. Georgia star Sundiata Gaines fouled out at the 7:18 mark when Jamont Gordon drew an offensive foul, but the Bulldogs from Starkville were outscored 14-8 the rest of the way with UGA's most prolific scorer on the bench. The game virtually ended when a technical foul was called on Charles Rhodes with just seconds remaining, allowing Georgia to pull ahead with just 7.6 seconds left in the contest.
Playing in his final SEC Tournament game, the senior Rhodes led all scorers with 22 points on 9-of-18 shooting and also grabbed six boards. The remainder of the MSU team shot poorly, combining for a 10-of-40 effort from the floor, although sophomore shooting guards Ben Hansbrough and Stewart managed 12 and 10 points, respectively.
The UGA senior sensation Gaines led his squad with 20 points with 4-of-7 shooting beyond the arc and nailing all six free throws he attempted. Sophomore Albert Jackson put up 12 points, while junior guard Billy Humphrey dished out five assists and turned the ball over just once.
After making the semifinal round of the SEC Tournament for the second-straight time and fifth time since the 1998-99 season, coach Rick Stansbury's Bulldogs will learn of their postseason fate when the 2008 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship Selection Show airs on CBS Sunday afternoon at 5 p.m. CT.
