NCAA Basketball: Georgia Comes Up A Basket Short Against Arkansas

Georgia Bulldogs guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

B.J. Young spoiled an 11-point second-half Georgia comeback with a game-winning layup with just five seconds remaining to push Arkansas past Georgia 62-60 in Fayetteville on Thursday night.

Georgia sophomore Kentavious Caldwell-Pope led the Bulldogs with 15 points, all scored in the second half. Senior Sherrard Brantley scored a career-high 10 points. Junior Donte’ Williams led the Dawgs with seven rebounds.

“We played our hearts out but we just didn’t start the game with the fight that we needed,” said coach Mark Fox. “I was worried coming in and we just didn’t start the game with a lot of authority. We had to battle back and I’m really proud of how we competed, especially in the second half, but it’s disappointing to leave here without a win.”

In the second half, Georgia trailed 41-30 before the Bulldogs went on a furious 11-0 run with just under 10 minutes remaining. Caldwell-Pope gave Georgia its first lead of the game on a three-pointer to go up 56-53, but the lead was short-lived as Arkansas’ Marshawn Powell hit a three to tie the game on the next Razorback possession.

Both teams traded baskets until Arkansas’ Young put the Razorbacks up for good, 62-60, on a layup with just five seconds to go. Georgia’s Vincent Williams had a contested layup as time expired, but couldn’t connect, giving Georgia its third loss in a row.

Anthlon Bell and Marshawn Powell led Arkansas with 17 and 11 points, respectively.

Worth Noting…

• The starting line-up was Caldwell-Pope, D. Williams, V. Williams, Morris and Florveus. They’re now 5-3.

• With his 15 points tonight, Caldwell-Pope has still scored in double figures in every game this season. He remains one of just 11 players in all of NCAA Division I that have scored in double figures in each of their team’s games. He’s the only SEC player to accomplish this feat and one of just five from the “BCS” leagues to do so.

• Georgia is now 0-4 in games decided by four points or less.

• Georgia out rebounded its opponent 32-28. It’s only Georgia’s fifth loss when out rebounding an opponent.

Career Highs:

• Sherrard Brantley scored a career-high 10 points (previously nine vs. FAMU on 12/29/12)

The Series: The Razorbacks improve to 17-13 all-time against Georgia, including 7-3 in Fayetteville. The loss snaps a three-game winning streak against Arkansas.

Next Up: Georgia returns home to play South Carolina, tip-off is at 2:00 p.m. and will be televised nationally on CBS. Georgia beat the Gamecocks earlier this season (2/2/13, 67-58) and leads the all-time series 61-58. Georgia leads the all-time series in Athens, 29-16.