No. 14 Kentucky placed four players in double-figures to pull away late from Georgia, 78-69, Tuesday night at Athens, Ga.
The win boosts the Wildcats to 11-3, 2-0 in the SEC, while the Bulldogs fall to 10-4 and 0-1.
Tyrese Maxey and Nick Richards led the Wildcats with 17 points each, followed by Immanuel Quickley with 15 and Ashton Hagans with 13. Hagans played despite suffering a sprained ankle last Saturday against Missouri.
Freshman Anthony Edwards led the Bulldogs with 23 points followed by Jordan Harris with 10.
Edwards singlehandedly kept the Wildcats at bay early in the second half, drilling back-to-back 3-pointers to keep Georgia ahead 45-42 with 16:42 to play.
But the Wildcats wouldn't go away, grabbing the lead for the first time since the first half on a 3-pointer from the wing by Quickley with 8:09 to play.
The lead would grow to six at 63-57 before Georgia climbed within two with just over six minutes to go.
However, Quickley wasn't done, draining another baseline three to extend the Wildcats' lead to five.
A give-and-go from Maxey to Richards put Kentucky up 70-64 with 1:42 left. The Bulldogs would get no closer.
In the first half, Georgia didn't disappoint the sellout crowd. Kentucky led by five points early, but back came the Bulldogs, using a 3-pointer by Rayshaun Hammonds to forge ahead 29-26 as Georgia closed the half on an 11-5 run.
Two straight buckets by Christian Brown pushed the margin to five before Edwards took a feed from Sahvir Wheeler to slam home two, posing briefly in front of Atlanta Hawks standout Trae Young as the first half came to an end with Georgia ahead 37-31.
The Bulldogs dominated the boards in the first half with a 24-17 edge.
Georgia and Kentucky both return to action Saturday, with the Bulldogs traveling to Auburn and the Wildcats entertaining Alabama.
--Field Level Media
Kentucky | Georgia | |
Tyrese Maxey 17 | Scoring | Anthony Edwards 23 |
Tyrese Maxey 8 | Assists | Jordan Harris 3 |
Tyrese Maxey 7 | Rebounds | Toumani Camara 6 |
Ashton Hagans 4 | Free Throws Made | Sahvir Wheeler 6 |
Ashton Hagans 4 | Steals | Jordan Harris 3 |
Tyrese Maxey 4 | Blocks | Toumani Camara 1 |