With several days to sit and stew over their overtime loss to Ole Miss, Georgia looked like it was itching to get back on the court and take some frustration out.
Unfortunate for Arkansas.
The 21st-ranked Bulldogs (15-3, 3-2 SEC) raced out to an immediate double-digit lead, pushed that lead to as many as 19 in the second half, and then held off a furious rally to win 90-76 and top the 17th-ranked Razorbacks (13-5, 3-2).
Jeremiah Wilkinson scored 20 points and knocked down 4 triples to help Georgia hand Arkansas its second loss in the last 3 games. Blue Cain added 18 on 8-of-12 shooting while Kanon Catchings put in 15 points to help round out the attack.
Georgia scored the game’s first 11 points, as 4 different Bulldogs got into the scoring column. Before 6 minutes of game clock had passed by, Georgia had a 19-3 lead. Until a layup from Trevon Brazile with 14:12 to play, Arkansas had as many turnovers (5) as it did shot attempts from the field.
The Dawgs scored 17 points off 11 total first-half Arkansas turnovers. They also splashed 7 of their 20 attempts from beyond the arc while holding Arkansas to just 1-of-7 shooting from 3 in the opening half.
At the break, Georgia held a 13-point lead. Georgia extended that advantage to as many as 19 points early in the second half. An 11-0 run from Arkansas in less than 3 minutes midway through the frame got the Razorbacks within 7. A triple from Darius Acuff Jr. with 6:43 to play tied the game at 68-all.
But Arkansas faded from there as the Georgia defense tightened the screws. After Acuff’s triple, Arkansas made just 1 shot from the floor the rest of the game — a layup with 31 seconds to play that meant nothing to the result. Arkansas missed 11 of its last 12 shots. Georgia made 7 of its last 9.
Acuff finished with 20 points. Malique Ewin and Billy Richmond III each had 12. No one else scored more than 9 for the Razorbacks.
The Razorbacks return home to host No. 10 Vanderbilt on Tuesday. Georgia heads to Mizzou the same night.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
