Mississippi State Men's Basketball Falls 58-50 On the Road Against Georgia

The Bulldogs fell to Georgia on the road as their shooting woes continue.

Mississippi State men's basketball lost to Georgia in Athens, 58-50, on Wednesday night as the Bulldogs continue to slide in SEC play.

Mississippi State had their worst free throw performance of the season, shooting a sluggish 7-22 (31.8%) from the free throw line. It was their worst free throw performance since March 3, 2021, when the Bulldogs shot 3-12 (25%) for free throws against Texas A&M.

Meanwhile, Georgia shot 25-31 (80.6%) for free throws in Wednesday's contest. Their performance, along with Mississippi State's performance, led to Georgia taking the lead late in the second half, which they will never give up.

Mississippi State also shot 18-61 (29.5%) from the field as well as shooting 7-27 (25.9%) from the three.

"I'm around them in practice," Mississippi State head coach Chris Jans said after the loss. "It's pretty obvious we're not going to be one of the leading shooting teams. We're poor in all three categories, but we make them at a better rate against good defense."

Guard Shakeel Moore led Mississippi State with a team-high 15 points, including three rebounds, two assists and four steals. He was also the only Bulldog player to shoot perfectly from the charity stripe, going 2-2.

Trailing Moore are Bulldog forward D.J. Jeffries and guard Cam Matthews, with 10 points and 8 points respectively. Matthews nearly had a double-double, achieving 10 rebounds along with one steal.

Mississippi State's shooting woes are becoming a real problem. If things continue the way they are, there is a real possibility that the Bulldogs won't go dancing in the NCAA tournament come Selection Sunday in March.

"At the end of the day, to win on the road, you've got to make crucial baskets down the stretch when it's a possession game and [Georgia] did," Jans said. "Give Georgia a lot of credit. They made the shots when they counted. If you'd have told me before the game we'd have nine turnovers in the game and 14 offensive rebounds, I'd have said, 'I like our chances' but unfortunately it wasn't enough."

With the loss, Mississippi State falls to a record of 12-4 overall, including 1-3 in SEC play.

The Bulldogs will continue their journey on the road, traveling to play No. 21 Auburn at their home court in Neville Arena on Saturday, Jan 14, at 7:30 p.m. CT. The game will be aired on SEC Network.