Georgia basketball falls in regular-season finale at LSU, Anthony Edwards struggles

Georgia basketball was no match for LSU on the road in Baton Rouge on Saturday, falling 94-64 to the Tigers in a game televised on ESPN2.

The Bulldogs finish the regular season 15-16 overall and 5-13 in SEC play, despite going 3-3 down the final stretch.

Coach Tom Crean knew the Tigers (21-10, 12-6) posed a difficult matchup with their athleticism and rebounding.

But it was LSU’s shooting that led the Bayou Bengals to a season-high point total. LSU was 34-of-59 (57.6 percent) shooting from the floor and 11-of-21 beyond the 3-point line (53.4 percent).

Georgia’s shooting, meanwhile, was abysmal. UGA was just 3-of-26 (11.5 percent) shooting beyond the 3-point arc.

Freshman Anthony Edwards had one of his worst performances of the season, LSU’s athleticism giving him a preview of what’s awaiting him at the next level.

Edwards scored 17 points but was just 6-of-22 shooting, including 1-of-12 from three.

“Not a good one,” Crean said in a team release. “We came out and we started settling for jumpers because the lane was a little packed.

“We are struggling with our focus in a lot of areas and what works and how to play winning basketball, in the sense of attacking and driving.”

LSU senior Marlon Taylor – who entered the game averaging 4.7 points per game — scored 30 points on 10-of-17 shooting in his final home game.

Taylor’s performance included three straight baskets during a 10-2 run in the second half that gave LSU a 64-43 lead with 13:45 left.

Crean called for a timeout at that stage of the action.

UGA came out of the huddle with a 6-0 run to cut the lead to 66-49, but it didn’t get any closer.

Georgia was down 49-34 at the half, Skyler Mays going off for 15 of his 19 points in the first 20 minutes.

Rayshaun Hammonds had 8 points in the first half, including a layup that tied up the game 14-14 at the 12:23 mark. Hammonds finished with 12 points and a team-high 8 rebounds.

LSU caught fire after Hammonds tied it up, going on a 16-5 run to make it 30-19 at the 7:38 mark and triggering another Crean timeout.

The Tigers hit 13 of their first 18 shots and were 18 of 28 (64.3 percent) in the first half, getting to the rim effectively while also hitting 6 of 10 from beyond the 3-point arc.

Georgia will play in the first game of the SEC tournament at 7 p.m. on Wednesday in Nashville against Ole Miss. The Rebels beat the Bulldogs in Athens, 70-60, in the previous game on Jan. 25.