Georgia basketball hung tight with No. 16-ranked Kentucky in the first half but could not keep up in the final 20 minutes at Rupp Arena on Saturday night.

The Wildcats (12-3, 2-1 SEC) pulled away for a 92-77 win over the Bulldogs (5-10, 0-2) in Lexington, Ky.

“I think they went 4-of-4 to start the half and that hurt us because the first five to eight minutes of the second half are as important as any part of the game,” UGA coach Tom Crean said. “It’s always this three to four minute stretch in the game that gets us.”

Kentucky point guard Sahvir Wheeler, who transferred from Georgia after two years with the Bulldogs, missed the game against his former team with a neck injury sustained Tuesday night. Crean put any potential bad blood to rest, greeting his former star with an embrace during pregame warmups.

Georgia stayed within three at halftime, down 40-37, but ultimately could not match Kentucky’s depth.

When the Bulldogs upset the Wildcats 63-62 last season, it was P.J. Horne who made the near buzzer-beating shot to seal the win. Horne, out for the season with a knee injury, could not aid the Bulldogs this time around. Wheeler had 10 points and led Georgia with 7 assists in the win.

The Bulldogs surrendered 46 points in the paint in the loss, due in large part to a monstrous night from Kentucky forward Oscar Tshiebwe. The junior owned the night with 29 points and 17 rebounds.

“We never got Oscar defensively where we needed him consistently in the sense of moving him, attacking his feet, getting him out of the lane,” Crean said. “He got the ball up quick, there’s no doubt about that, and he’s a very good player.”

Kentucky guard Tyty Washington scored 17 points and dished out 17 assists in addition to grabbing 5 rebounds. The freshman broke the program’s single-game assist record, a mark previously held by John Wall.

Kario Oquendo led the Bulldogs with 22 points and 7 rebounds.

The Bulldogs and Wildcats traded blows in a first half with five ties and 10 lead changes. Both teams shot over 50 percent in the first half.

Noah Baumann kept his hand hot for UGA, shooting 3 of 4 in the first half with 10 points at the break. The USC transfer scored 14 points and pulled down 3 rebounds in the loss.

Bulldog point guard Aaron Cook earned his 400th career assist on a dish to Braelen Bridges near the rim.

Keion Brooks’ jumper with 3 seconds left gave Kentucky a 40-37 advantage at halftime.

The Wildcats burned the Bulldogs early in the second half as their halftime advantage grew to double digits on a Davion Mintz 3-pointer at the 15:28 mark.

“The bottom line is we fought extremely hard,” Crean said. “We stayed tough and diligent. We just had a bad stretch to get started and they built themselves a good cushion.”

Georgia, already missing Jailyn Ingram and Horne due to knee injuries, was also without Dalen Ridgnal and Cam McDowell. Ridgnal was ruled out by COVID-related issues, while McDowell missed the game with a separate illness.

Georgia will continue its road trip against Mississippi State at 7 p.m. on Wednesday night at Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, Miss.