A second half collapse lost Georgia basketball its third straight game for the first time this season, a 68-65 defeat at Arkansas.

The Bulldogs (14-5, 2-4 SEC) squandered a 38-26 halftime lead, struggling to stop a physical Razorback offense that flooded the foul line.

That’s where Arkansas (12-7, 1-6) won the game, as Adou Thiero sank a go-ahead free throw to take the lead for good. The Razorbacks’ leading rebounder pulled down an offensive board and drew a foul on a putback shot with 1.8 seconds remaining to go to the line.

Thiero made his first shot, rebounded his second and scored one more layup as the clock expired.

Arkansas earned its first SEC win with the help of 34 free throw attempts, making 29 of them. The Bulldogs were much less accurate on the road, shooting 20 of 29 from the foul line.

Georgia also struggled to box out Arkansas rebounders. The Razorbacks won the rebounding battle 40-30, and pulled down 18 offensive rebounds compared to UGA’s 8.

“A lot of those led to fouls, which led to 29 free throws by Arkansas,” UGA coach Mike White said. “Our defensive attention to detail and physical and mental toughness wasn’t as sharp as it needed to be to win on the road.

“That was the brunt of the conversation throughout the media timeouts in the second half, and we just didn’t answer the bell on the defensive glass.”

The Razorbacks were also without their second-leading scorer in Boogie Fland, who hurt his hand on January 11.

Asa Newell led UGA with 18 points, also adding 8 rebounds.

The same Georgia offense that sank five 3-pointers in the first half fell silent in the second, shooting 0 of 5.

Georgia’s shooters were much sharper in the first half, sinking four of their first six 3-point attempts.

Georgia scored 11 points off Arkansas’ 7 turnovers in the first half. The Razorbacks didn’t have any points off turnovers in the period.

UGA also squandered a Quad 1 win opportunity, as Arkansas is ranked No. 57 in the NET rankings. The Bulldogs are 2-5 in Quad 1 opportunities this season.

“It’s life in the SEC, and the line is incredibly fine between winning and losing,” White said. “In the SEC in 2025, all of these games are so hard.”

Things don’t get easier for Georgia, as it finishes its week at No. 5 Florida at 1 p.m. on Saturday. The Gators escaped South Carolina’s Colonial Life Arena with a 70-69 win on Wednesday.