ATHENS, Ga. --- After falling behind by as many as 19 points in the first half, Georgia used a fierce second-half rally to close to within four late, but the visiting Mississippi State Bulldogs were able to secure a 67-61 win over the Georgia Bulldogs Saturday night at Stegeman Coliseum in front of 8,326 fans and an ESPN2 audience.
Ricky McPhee scored 15 points in the game, all coming by way of the 3-pointer, to bring Georgia back into the game. Dustin Ware added 14 and Jeremy Price chipped in 10 off the bench for the host Bulldogs.
Georgia stumbled at the start, falling behind 15-2 in the early going. Mississippi State’s Ravern Johnson scored 21 first-half points on 8-of-12 shooting in leading Mississippi State to a 30-11 lead late in the first half. Georgia committed 16 turnovers in the first half, which led to 18 MSU points as the visitors held a 36-24 lead after the first 20 minutes.
“We weren’t being tough enough or strong enough with the ball,” head coach Dennis Felton said. “I was pleased to be at least where we were at halftime after turning the ball over 16 times and letting Johnson get 21 points.”
From the start of the second half, Georgia (9-10, 0-4 SEC) improved on all of their first-half mistakes and gradually fought its way back into the game. Georgia’s defense limited Mississippi State (14-6, 4-1) to just 35 percent shooting in the second half, compared to its 47 percent first-half effort, and Georgia turned the ball over just six times.
Ware and McPhee, however, were the catalysts to Georgia’s second half comeback. With the score 41-27 early in the second half, McPhee and Ware combined to hit several clutch shots and bring Georgia back to within four at 47-43. McPhee scored 12 second-half points and Ware had 11 after halftime.
Georgia closed the gap to two at 52-50, but could get no closer the rest of the game. A Corey Butler bucket with under one minute to play made the score 62-58, and Georgia was forced to foul Mississippi State to regain possession.
“We did a better job of being persistent to run the ball,” Felton said. “I think Dustin did a really good job of facilitating a lot of that by just pushing it. Obviously we got a terrific lift from Ricky scoring the ball.”
Mississippi State would convert on its free-throws, and Georgia missed many of its attempts in the final minute. Mississippi State converted 10-of-14 from the free-throw line in the second half to help put the game out of reach, while the host Bulldogs shot 36 percent in the second half.
Mississippi State’s Johnson was held scoreless in the second half, but still finished with the game-high 21 points. Teammates Jarvis Vernando and Phil Turner added 14 and 13 points, respectively.
Georgia will next face Florida at 8 p.m. Wednesday in Gainesville, Fla. The game will be televised by Raycom.
