On a night where it seemed No. 22 Mississippi State, losers of two games in a row, was going to do everything it could to give the game away, Georgia basketball conversely did everything it could not to win it.
In the 2024-25 version of the SEC conference, victories have not been cheap or easy to come by, and any team with NCAA tournament aspirations letting one get away cannot be a part of the narrative. For Mike White and the Georgia Bulldogs, that is precisely what happened Saturday night in Athens.
In this late season matchup of Bulldog foes, Mississippi State (17-6, 5-5 SEC) was able to survive Georgia’s second half comeback attempt in a 76-75 nail-biter at Stegeman Coliseum. Georgia (16-8, 4-7 SEC) falls to 13-2 at home this season after a questionable non-decision from White in the game's final seconds.
Play of the game
In the final seconds of the game, up 76-75, Mississippi State would miss their 11th free throw of the evening. With five seconds left on the game clock, Georgia sophomore guard Silas Demary Jr. would grab the defensive rebound, but did not call a timeout.
Instead, White elected to put the ball in Demary Jr.'s hands and urged him to push the ball towards Georgia's basket for the final shot. Demary Jr. would race down the court and with one second left on the clock turned the ball over after the basketball bounced off of his foot and into the hands of a Mississippi State defender.
It was a hard fought and courageous effort by the Bulldogs, but with the game hanging in the balance, many are going to want to know why White did not call a timeout after the rebound with five seconds left on the clock.
Top Performers
Sophomore guard Josh Hubbard lead the way for Mississippi State with 16 points, 6 assists and 1 steal.
For the Bulldogs, sophomore guard Silas Demary Jr. had a career high in points with 23 to go along with six rebounds and seven assists. Unfortunately it will be his turnover with one second left in the game that will be remembered most.
This and That
Free Throw Percentage: Mississippi State - 6/18 (33.3%) | Georgia - 17/22 (77.3%)
Georgia lost the turnover battle 14-11 to Mississippi State.
Points off turnovers: Mississippi State - 9 | Georgia - 6.
Bench points: Mississippi State - 32 | Georgia - 5
Georgia out-rebounded Mississippi State 32-31.
After being down eight at halftime, Georgia was able to tie the game five times in the 2nd half but could never take the lead either of those times.
Biggest lead of the night: Mississippi State (9)
What’s next for Georgia?
Georgia returns to action on Tuesday to take on No. 10 Texas A&M in College Station.