Mississippi State Miss. St/Georgia Georgia Men's College Basketball recap on ESPN

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) – Ezra Williams scored 25 points, including 18 in the first half when Georgia shot an amazing 79 percent from the field, and the Bulldogs kept their slim NCAA Tournament hopes alive Wednesday night with a 94-73 victory over Mississippi State.

Georgia (16-12, 9-6 Southeastern Conference) connected on 22-of-28 shots in the opening half, building a 25-point margin at 53-28 before Mississippi State scored seven straight points to cut the deficit to 53-35 at intermission.

Williams was 7-for-8, including 3-for-3 from 3-point land and added a free throw for his 18 first-half points. He finished 10-for-12 shooting from the field.

D.A. Layne, Georgia's leading scorer at 16.9 per game, added 13 points on 6-for-9 shooting and Shon Coleman had (6-of-7) 12 points during the home team's torrid opening 20 minutes.

Layne wound up with 19 points and Coleman 17.

For the game, Georgia wound up hitting 40-of-57 shots (70 percent), second highest percentage in school history. The Bulldogs were 32-for-42 (76 percent) in a 77-68 win over Chattanooga on Dec. 19, 1980.

Mississippi State (15-11, 6-9 SEC) shot 47 percent (15-for-32) to keep the first-half deficit at 18 points, but the loss damaged their NCAA chances after winning three in a row. State ends the regular season at home on Saturday against South Carolina.

Mississippi State, which never got closer than 16 points (58-42) in the second half, was led by Mario Austin, who had 17 points. Tang Hamilton added 13 points.

Mississippi State played without starting center Robert Jackson, who did not make the trip to Athens after being benched after playing only the first minute of Saturday's 55-48 win at Louisiana State and refusing to go back in when coach Rick Stansbury asked him to. The SEC road victory was State's first after 12 straight losses.

Stansbury said Jackson would not play again this season and that the junior's status for next season would be evaluated. Jackson averaged 11.3 points a game and a team-leading 7.6 rebounds.

Georgia, which had lost five of its last seven, closes the regular SEC season Saturday at Arkansas and has already clinched third place in the East heading into the conference tournament next week in Nashville, Tenn.

Send this story to a friend

ALSO SEE
Men's College Basketball Scoreboard

Mississippi State Clubhouse

Georgia Clubhouse