Georgia falls to Arkansas, 99-73

ATHENS, Ga. – Despite a strong offensive performance in the first half, the University of Georgia men’s basketball team fell to Arkansas, 99-73, before 6,448 spectators Wednesday evening at Stegeman Coliseum.

Sophomore Kario Oquendo led Georgia (6-16, 1-8 SEC) with 17 points on 5-for-10 shooting, while graduate Aaron Cook tallied 12 points and six assists. On the boards, senior Noah Baumann hauled in seven rebounds. For the evening, the Bulldogs shot 45.3 percent from the field.

“The game was going a little too fast for us in the first half,” said Georgia head coach Tom Crean following the game. “We were giving up too many baskets, but at least we were coming down and scoring. We some bad offensive possessions start of the second half which got their break going, which got (Stanley) Umude hot. Went to 12 on those open threes and our offense was a recipient as much as anything of not being good defensively getting back.”

Georgia opened the scoring up early, quickly taking a 10-5 lead thanks to 3-pointers from Baumann and Oquendo, but Arkansas (17-5, 6-3 SEC) was able to move ahead by the first media break. The Bulldogs responded with consecutive threes from sophomore Jabri Abdur-Rahm, using the eventual 13-2 run to go up by eight. Unfortunately, back-to-back turnovers swiftly brought the Razorbacks to within two at 24-22.

Both teams traded runs as the half wore on to roll but turnovers remained an issue for Georgia as Arkansas utilized its transition game. The Razorbacks also found success from outside as they tied the game with a three from senior JD Notae with five minutes to play. The scoring flurry continued with nine consecutive Arkansas points, leading to a late triple to make it a 53-47 lead at halftime.

Arkansas’ offense remained potent as the second half began, extending its lead to 14 with a brisk 10-2 run capped off by consecutive threes from Umude. Led by junior Dalen Ridgnal, Georgia attempted to cut into the deficit, but it hovered around 16 despite the effort. Umude remained on fire from beyond the arc as he hit two more treys to make it a 23-point game midway through the period. The Razorbacks would eventually go on to win the contest by a comfortable margin.

Georgia remains home this weekend as it plays host to No. 1 Auburn on Saturday, Feb. 5 at 1 p.m. on SEC Network. In their first meeting this season, the Tigers topped the Bulldogs, 83-60, in Auburn.