The Georgia Bulldogs men’s basketball team was defeated by South Carolina this afternoon, 72-62, in front of a sold out crowd in Stegman Coliseum. Jabri Abdur-Rahim led the Bulldogs in scoring with 20 points, followed by 11 from Blue Cain and 10 from Noah Thomasson.

To start the game, the Dawgs were flaming hot from behind the arc. Abdur-Rahim drained two three-pointers in the first four minutes of the game to give Georgia the lead 11-8. Shortly after, freshman guard Blue Cain got the crowd up on their feet after nailing two three-pointers of his own, extending the Bulldogs lead to 7 with 11:56 left in the half. RJ Melendez continued the offensive success for the Dawgs with a fast break dunk, making the lead 10 over the Gamecocks with 8:05 left in the half. South Carolina was able to respond, going on a 9-0 run to cut Georgia’s lead to one with 6:14 remaining before the break. Both teams continued to battle, and the Dawgs were able to remain in the lead, 40-38, at halftime. Abdur-Rahim, Thomasson, and Blue Cain combined for eight three-pointers in the first half.

To start the second half, Russel Tchewa converted an and-one play to make the score 43-38, giving the Bulldogs the momentum out of the break. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, this would be one of the few positive plays throughout the second half. With 11:17 left in the game, South Carolina’s B.J. Mack converted on his second free throw attempt to give the Gamecocks the lead, 52-51. From that point on, Georgia would not make another shot from the field until Justin Hill’s pull-up jump shot with 4:35 to go. Hill would continue to keep the Bulldogs in it, assisting Blue Cain’s alleyoop dunk to cut the lead to six with 3:57 left. However, Georgia couldn’t keep up, and once again failed to make a field goal until Abdur-Rahim’s three-pointer with 1:01 remaining. This was the only three pointer the Bulldogs made the entire second half. South Carolina dominated the Bulldogs in the paint, outscoring Georgia 40-24. Forward Collin Murray-Boyles led the Gamecocks in scoring with 16 points, shooting 7-9 from the field.

This marks Georgia’s third straight loss, which is their longest streak of the season. Coach White’s team now sits at 14-8 and 4-5 in SEC play.

The Bulldogs will travel to Starkville, MS for a matchup with Mississippi State on Wednesday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 9 pm on SEC Network.