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Georgia's run in the SEC Tournament ended on Saturday with a 70-58 loss to Kentucky at the Georgia Dome. The Wildcats advance to the tournament finals on Sunday against Florida while the Bulldogs are left to ponder their postseason fate.
Georgia wasted little time falling in a hole as Kentucky jumped out to an early double digit lead. Kentucky led 12-2 after the first four minutes thanks to a pair of three-point baskets from freshman James Young. Much like on Friday night, Georgia found itself battling foul trouble. Charles Mann picked up his second foul at the 12:26 mark and sat for the remainder of the half. Kenny Gaines, Brandon Morris and Donte Williams later joined him on the bench with a pair of fouls.
The Bulldogs hung around early on thanks to an outstanding performance from its bench. Georgia trimmed Kentucky's lead to just 36-32 at the half as Juwan Parker and J.J. Frazier combined for 12 points. The Bulldogs bench accounted for 20 of Georgia's 32 points at the half.
Kenny Gaines pulled the Bulldogs to within two at 41-39 early on in the second half but the Wildcats' size started to have its effect on Georgia. Three straight offensive rebounds helped Kentucky push the lead back to 10 and every time the Bulldogs threatened to close the gap, Arnold or Aaron Harrison had an answer.
The Harrison brothers combined to score 34 of Kentucky's 70 points and were a collective 6-9 from three-point range. The Wildcats knocked down 9-16 attempts from beyond-the-arc and dominated the glass 36-22 including 11 offensive rebounds. Young finished with 14 points while Julius Randle logged a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Kenny Gaines led the way for Georgia finishing with 13 points while Charles Mann added 12. The Bulldogs were able to stay in the game thanks there ability to get to the free throw line where they converted 21-30 attempts.
In all likelihood, Georgia needed to at least reach the final to have any hope for an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament. Those hopes probably ended with Saturday's loss however they appear to be a safe bet to earn a spot in the postseason NIT.