Georgia tops Mississippi 81-63 in SEC Tournament opener

Rayshaun Hammonds had 22 points and 11 rebounds, and Georgia shot 55% to beat Mississippi 81-63 in the opener of the Southeastern Conference Tournament

NASHVILLE, Tenn. —
Rayshaun Hammonds had 22 points and 11 rebounds, and Georgia shot 55% to beat Mississippi 81-63 in Wednesday night’s opener of the Southeastern Conference Tournament.

Jordan Harris added 21 points and Sahvir Wheeler 15 for the 13th-seeded Bulldogs (16-16), who never trailed and led by 17 early in the second half. They shot 56% in the first half and made nine of their first 14 after halftime to halt a two-game slide that ended the regular season.

Georgia also made 7 of 18 from long range against No. 12 seed Ole Miss to end a three-game series losing streak to the Rebels. Hammonds made 9 of 13 from the field and 2 of 3 from beyond the arc for his seventh 20-point game this season and second in four contests. Harris shot 8 of 11 overall and made 3 of 4 from long range.

Breein Tyree scored 18 points and Devontae Shuler 17 for Ole Miss (15-17), which got within 66-57 with six minutes remaining before Georgia extended the lead to double digits. The Rebels shot 42%, including just 2 of 15 from 3-point range, and were edged 33-32 on the boards.

BIG PICTURE

Georgia: With highly-touted freshman Anthony Edwards tying a season low with just six points on 2-of-13 shooting and 1 of 9 from deep, upperclassmen Harris and Hammonds picked up the slack. They also had a highlight moment as Wheeler drained a half-court, buzzer-beating 3 to end the first half. That’s a sure sign things were going well.

Mississippi: The Rebels never really got in an offensive flow and struggled to contain Georgia’s shooters. That combination dug a hole they tried all game to climb out of, getting within nine midway through the second half but no closer.

UP NEXT

Georgia faces No. 5 seed Florida in Thursday’s second round.

Mississippi’s season is over.

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