MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The 18th-ranked Memphis Tigers fell to the Georgia Bulldogs, 82-79 on Wednesday night, the team's second-straight loss to an unranked opponent.
The Bulldogs shot 48 percent from the field, the best of any Tigers opponent this season.
After Friday's loss to Iowa State, Penny Hardaway returned his Tigers to the offensive system that won them 17 of their last 19 games in 2020-21. But there were few improvements early in the game. Memphis hitting just four of their first 15 shots.
A Braelen Bridges jumper with 5:01 in the first half gave Georgia a 28-21 lead. Memphis closed on a 13-4 run to take a two point lead into halftime.
The new offense was put in place in hopes of limiting turnovers. In that respect, it was successful, with the Tigers coughing the ball up just 11 times.
But foul trouble and waning defense plagued Memphis in the second half. The Bulldogs sank 27-of-35 free throw attempts (77%), compared to the Tigers 14-of-17 (82%).
Jabri Abdur-Rahim sank a triple to give Georgia a 78-77 lead with 1:58 to play. Kario Oquendo stole the ball from Emoni Bates and proceeded to dunk the ball, making it a three-point game.
With four seconds to play, Bates chucked an emergency shot that caught rim, but bounced out, handing Memphis the loss in Athens.
The Tigers are back at it Saturday, playing Ole Miss at 11:00 a.m. in Oxford, MS.
