Noah Thomasson scored 15 points to lead Georgia to a 69-66 win over Ole Miss on Tuesday in the Bulldogs’ last home game of the season at Athens, Ga.
Russel Tchewa had 11 points, 10 rebounds and five assists and Justin Hill also had 11 points for Georgia (16-14, 6-11 Southeastern Conference), which won for just the second time in 11 games.
Jaemyn Brakefield and Jaylen Murray each put up 19 points for the Rebels (20-10, 7-10), though Murray shot just 8-for-21 from the field.
Ole Miss trailed 65-54 with 2:45 remaining in the game before scoring nine straight to cut the gap to two with 49.2 seconds left on a Murray 3-pointer.
Georgia held firm from there, taking a 67-63 lead with 22.5 seconds remaining on a layup by Tchewa. The Bulldogs forced a contested 3-point attempt that Jaylen Murray missed, and Ole Miss’ Brandon Murray missed a follow-up shot.
Georgia secured the rebound with 3.3 seconds left to all but seal the game. Following two free throws by Hill with 1.2 seconds remaining that gave Georgia a 69-63 lead, Jaylen Murray hit a half-court shot at the buzzer to slice the final margin.
Trailing 41-40 with 15 minutes remaining in the game, Georgia scored the next seven points to take a six-point lead with 11:24 left.
Ole Miss cut the deficit to 51-47 on a layup from TJ Caldwell with 9:15 remaining, but Georgia scored six straight to take a 57-47 lead with 5:52 left after two free throws by Hill.
Georgia then went ahead 65-54 with 2:45 remaining after consecutive baskets in the paint by Tchewa.
The Bulldogs got off to a good start, jumping out to a 14-6 lead with 11:40 remaining until halftime. Ole Miss then found some footing, cutting Georgia’s lead to 22-20 with 6:44 left in the first half on a Brandon Murray 3-pointer.
The Bulldogs took a 31-25 lead with 2:08 remaining in the first half, but a basket just before time expired by Brakefield brought Ole Miss to within 35-32 at intermission.
–Field Level Media