Hubbard’s 16 points help No. 22 Mississippi State hold off Georgia, 76-75, to end 2-game skid

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) Josh Hubbard scored 16 points and No. 22 Mississippi State held off Georgia 76-75 on Saturday night to end a two-game losing streak.

In the matchup of the Southeastern Conference’s two versions of Bulldogs, Mississippi State (17-6, 5-5 SEC) survived Georgia’s second-half comeback.

Silas Demary Jr., who led Georgia with 23 points, sank two free throws with 8 seconds remaining to cut Mississippi State’s lead to 76-75. A last-second steal by Mississippi State’s Claudell Harris Jr. helped protect the one-point advantage.

Georgia (16-8, 4-7) fell to 13-2 at home. No. 1 Auburn beat the Bulldogs in Athens 70-68 on Jan. 18.

Georgia pulled even for the third time of the second half, at 71, on a 3-pointer by Asa Newell.

Mississippi State: An overwhelming 32-5 advantage in bench scoring, bolstered by a 46-28 edge in points in the paint, helped Mississippi State survive.

Georgia: G Tyrin Lawrence was helped off the court midway through the first half and was escorted to the locker room with an apparent right leg injury. Lawrence, a part-time starter, was hurt while attempting a steal and did not return.

The visiting Bulldogs’ full-court pressure defense forced a turnover, which set up a jam by Riley Kugel. The basket was the key play in a 7-0 run that helped Mississippi State extend its lead to 34-25, its biggest advantage of the first half.

Mississippi State led 40-32 at halftime despite making only 3 of 9 free throws in the half and 6 of 18 for the game.

Each team’s next game is on Tuesday night. Mississippi State returns to Starkville, Miss., to play No. 6 Florida while Georgia plays at No. 10 Texas A&M.

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