Bulldogs put up good fight but fall to Wildcats 72-64

There is no such thing as a moral victory but if there were, then Georgia's loss on Tuesday to undefeated Kentucky might qualify. The Bulldogs hung around for three quarters but were just unable to make enough plays down the stretch to pull out a victory.

Two free throws from Marcus Thornton put the Bulldogs up 62-56 with 5:35 remaining in the game. Georgia wouldn't score again until the game's final moments as the Wildcats embarked on a 16-2 run to finish things out. During that stretch Georgia missed the front end of three one-in-one free throw opportunities.

It was a sour end to an otherwise sterling performance by the Bulldogs. Georgia finished the game at 47 percent shooting but were well above 50 percent for much of the game. The Bulldogs execution was on point for much of the night as they did a good job of luring Kentucky's big men away from the basket and used their speed and quickness to attack the basket.

Georgia was locked in defensively as well harassing the Wildcats into 39.7 percent shooting and holding a 41-38 rebounding edge over a much bigger Kentucky frontline.

In the end though it came down to talent and length and Kentucky has the most of any team in the country. Karl Anthony-Towns scored seven of his 19 points in the final five minutes of the game.

Nemi Djurisic led the Bulldogs with 18 points while Marcus Thornton added 14 points and seven rebounds. Kenny Gaines finished with 11 while freshman Yante Maten added eight off the bench.

Georgia falls to 19-10 on the season and 10-7 in conference play. They will wrap up their regular season schedule on Saturday with a trip to Auburn.