Georgia basketball could not match Florida’s offense, giving up several key runs in a, 84-72 loss Saturday at Stegeman Coliseum.

The Bulldogs (6-23, 1-15 SEC) could not slow the Gators (18-11, 8-8) from behind the arc. Florida was 14-of-31 shooting from 3-point range, while Georgia shot just 9 of 23.

“They’re not feeling pressure of shooting the ball,” UGA coach Tom Crean said. “We’re just not doing a good enough job of making them feel us or see that hand extended early enough. We’re there, we’ve just got to do it with more urgency.”

Kario Oquendo led the Bulldogs in scoring yet again with 20 points and 6 rebounds.

Athens native Phlandrous Fleming led the way for Florida, scoring a season-high 27 points with 4 assists and 5 rebounds.

The Bulldogs, 12th in the country in free throws made, did not attempt a foul shot in the first half. UGA averages over 15 free throws made per game. It had just 9 Saturday.

“When you have a margin for error that’s as slim as ours is, you need every advantage you can get and getting fouled at the rim are big parts of it,” Crean said.

Georgia kept pace with Florida in the first half, never trailing by more than 4 points until the 7:34 mark. The Gators mounted a swift 9-0 run iced by a Fleming dunk at the 7:14 mark.

The Bulldogs immediately responded with a 7-0 run of their own, capped by an Oquendo 3-pointer at the 5:31 mark. Oquendo, notorious for his interior scoring, flashed some perimeter prowess. Georgia’s leading scorer scored 12 first half points, all of them 3-pointers.

The Gators pulled away right before halftime and entered the locker rooms leading 41-34.

Florida delivered the first four blows of the second half, riding a 10-0 run to get a 51-34 lead. The Bulldogs surrendered 3 turnovers and had 3 shots blocked during the run, which lasted to the 16:45 mark.

UGA responded again with yet another run and cut its deficit to 7. A Florida timeout appeared to stymie the Bulldog momentum as they missed their next four shots before falling behind by double digits again.

The Gators stayed comfortably ahead of UGA for the rest of the contest, never allowing it back within 10 points.

The loss marks Georgia’s 23rd of the year, the most by any team in program history.

“It’s disheartening, I feel for these guys in so many ways,” Crean said. “Our crowd was great. I feel for them. ... We just could not get both ends put together in a consistent way.”