Mississippi State
19-6, 6-4
Georgia
12-12, 3-7
Georgia Shocks #18 Bulldogs In OT, 70-68
February 11, 2012 | Men's Basketball
The 18th-ranked Bulldogs dropped a 70-68 overtime decision to Georgia in a Southeastern Conference men's basketball contest played Saturday afternoon at Humphrey Coliseum.
MSU saw a 13-game home streak snapped while losing the final third of a three-game homestand. The Maroon and White slipped to 19-6 overall and 6-4 in league play, while Georgia improved to 12-12 and 3-7. For Georgia, it was its second true road win of the season and first inside conference play.
Fresh off a 22-point victory over Arkansas, Georgia continued its strong play Saturday afternoon. The visiting Bulldogs hit 11 3-point baskets - the most in a conference game this season - while only committing a season-low four turnovers.
"What I was worried about before the game is what beat us today," MSU head coach Rick Stansbury said. "Physically and mentally, we did not play at the energy level you need to play at to win games in this league. Give credit to Georgia. They stood up and made shots."
The Maroon and White had won its four conference home games by a combined total of 16 points. Thursday night, MSU built an 18-point lead before posting a 70-60 win against Ole Miss. Less than 36 hours later, the Maroon and White were back on the floor.
"We left a lot of emotion on the floor Thursday night," Stansbury said. "Today, we did not respond with the focus and energy that you have to have. It was a quick turnaround but you have to be ready to play when the game is scheduled.
"We weren't able to play at the level that you have to play at. We had our chances but it is a fine line in this league between winning and losing, especially when your effort is not at its best. We were on the other side of that line today. Give credit to Georgia for playing really well."
In an extremely competitive contest, the score was tied 10 times and the lead changed hands 17 times. Georgia's biggest lead was four points in the overtime period, while MSU's biggest lead was at seven points midway through the first half.
The Maroon and White quickly sprinted to a 10-4 advantage on a 3-point basket by Dee Bost. Minutes later, a 3-pointer by Jalen Steele ran the advantage to 16-9. The hosts only hit eight 3-point baskets in the contest, with six of those coming in the game's first half.
Georgia eventually righted the ship and used a 6-1 run to tie the game 21-21. UGA took its first lead at 24-23 on a Dustin Ware 3-point basket.
MSU shot 50 percent from the floor and battled back from a pair of two-point deficits to take a 34-31 lead at halftime.
The Maroon and White eased out to a four-point second-half lead on three occasions early in the activity. UGA then scored five straight points to take a 44-43 lead on a 3-pointer by Ken Caldwell-Pope.
An old-fashioned 3-point play by Bost placed the hosts on top 58-555 with 1:38 left. Georgia answered on the other end with a dunk from Donte' Williams. One free throw by Renardo Sidney gave MSU a 59-57 lead but Gerald Robinson had the answer on the other end.
Steele missed a 3-point as time expired in regulation.
In the overtime, Georgia grabbed the lead for good a 68-66 on a 3-pointer by Caldwell-Pope. MSU could not get the answer on the offensive end. Two free throws by Robinson ran the lead to 70-66.
MSU did answer this time with a putback from Arnett Moultrie. After UGA missed the front end of a one-plus-one, MSU had one more chance but an off-balanced 3-point attempt by Bost fell short as time expired.
For the contest, MSU hit 23 of 50 shots from the field (46.0 percent), 8 of 23 shots from 3-point range (34.8 percent) and 14 of 20 shots from the foul line (70.0 percent). Georgia hit 27 of 67 shots from the field (40.3 percent), 11 of 26 shots from 3-point range (42.3 percent) and 5 of 11 shots from the foul line (45.5 percent).
Georgia held a 40-33 rebounding advantage. MSU had eight assists and nine turnovers, while UGA had nine assists and four turnovers.
Bost led the Bulldogs with 21 points. The senior guard became the 10th player in school history to score 1,500 points. Steele added 15 points, including four 3-pointers. Moultrie finished with 12 points.
Sidney had a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds. For Sidney, it was his first double-double of the year and fifth of his career. This contest was the first one in which MSU lost when Sidney posted a double-double.
Caldwell-Pope led UGA with 20 points. Robinson added 13 points, while Williams and Dustin Ware each added 11 points.
MSU returns to the road for a Tuesday night contest at LSU. The Bulldogs and Tigers meet in a nationally televised contest on ESPNU, with an 8 p.m. tip time from the Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge.
