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Men's Basketball RESULTS
Georgia 67, South Carolina 56
Missouri 91, Auburn 77
Arkansas 73, Tennessee 60
Alabama 58, Vanderbilt 54
LSU 69, Mississippi State 68
Kentucky 72, Texas A&M 68
Florida 78, Ole Miss 64

Georgia Snags a Road Win at South Carolina

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Georgia Bulldogs were visiting South Carolina on Saturday afternoon, and the Dawgs swiftly left town with a 67-56 victory over the Gamecocks. UGA (10-11, 4-4 Southeastern Conference) was powered by a game-high 19 points from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who was 7-of-11 from the field on the afternoon.

After a closely contested game, Georgia began to pull away in the final minutes before Donte Williams threw down a dunk off a drive-and-feed from Kenny Gaines that gave the Bulldogs a nine-point cushion and secured the win. The Dawgs nearly shot the lights out in Columbia, connecting on 58 percent of their field goal attempts for the game, including a 46-percent mark from beyond the 3-point line. Conversely, the Gamecocks (12-9, 2-6) hit on only 35 percent of their shots in the loss.

While Caldwell-Pope paced UGA with his big scoring effort, he received plenty of help – mainly from the Bulldogs bench. Kenny Gaines and Charles Mann each added 11 points in relief duty for Georgia while combining for eight assists and five rebounds.

Michael Carrera led the offensive effort for South Carolina, dropping a team-high 16 points to go along with seven boards. Junior guard Bruce Ellington added 14 points of his own on 5-of-12 shooting, and Brian Richardson tacked on 12 more points. The Gamecocks turned the ball over 10 times on the afternoon while recording only nine assists as a squad.

Both teams will take to the road for their next bouts, with South Carolina travelling to Lexington on Tuesday night for a date with Kentucky and Georgia heading to Knoxville to face Tennessee on Wednesday.

Mizzou Runs Past Auburn in Columbia

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Keion Bell and Earnest Ross combined to score 47 points for Missouri on Saturday and the Tigers blew past Auburn at home, 91-77.

Bell led the way for Mizzou (16-5, 5-3 Southeastern Conference) with 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting, adding five rebounds and a pair of assists in the winning effort. Ross was right behind him with 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field, and the Tigers shot 54.5 percent on the afternoon as a team. Laurence Bowers made his presence felt, scoring 12 points for his third consecutive double-digit scoring effort since returning to the court.

In addition to hot shooting, the Tigers used stingy defense to hold Auburn (8-13, 2-6) at bay. Auburn connected on only 35 percent of its shots throughout the game, and Mizzou forced 12 turnovers while allowing only nine assists on the offensive end.

Three Auburn players scored in double figures on the afternoon, with Frankie Sullivan leading the way with 12 points. Center Rob Chubb chipped in 10 points of his own but was limited to just two rebounds, while Chris Denson recorded 10 points and three boards for AU.

Mizzou never trailed on Saturday afternoon and led by as many as 22 points.

Auburn will return to the court on Wednesday night against rival Alabama at 8 p.m. Eastern. Missouri will get back at it on Thursday night against Texas A&M at 9 p.m.

Arkansas Pulls Away from Tennessee Late

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – BJ Young poured in 25 points for Arkansas against Tennessee, and the Razorbacks came away with a 73-60 win over the Volunteers on Saturday. The win marked number four in Southeastern Conference play on the year for the Hogs.

The Razorbacks (13-8, 4-4 SEC) cruised to 10-point advantage at the half, and Tennessee was never able to overcome that deficit in the second half. The Vols (11-9, 3-5) remained within striking distance for most of the second half, but a flurry of Arkansas 3-pointers down the stretch put the game out of reach.

Young’s big effort off the bench was a product of a 9-for-15 shooting day, which included two long distance buckets. Marshawn Powell hit 50 percent of his shots on the afternoon en route to 12 points for the Hogs, while Hunter Mickelson added 10 points of his own. Michael Qualls hauled in a game-high 11 rebounds for Arkansas down low and Mickelson recorded four steals on the defensive end.

Jarnell Stokes did his best to give Tennessee a chance, recording a team-best 18 points and 10 rebounds in the loss. Kenny Hall chipped in with 14 points and five boards for the Vols, while Josh Richardson dropped in 11 and five. Tennessee shot 43.8 percent as a team, but it was not enough to overcome a 19-to-8 assist-to-turnover ratio.

The Razorbacks connected on 48 percent of their field goal attempts and managed to pick up the comfortable win despite being outrebounded handily.

Both squads will take to their respective home courts in their next games, Arkansas on Tuesday night against Florida and Tennessee on Wednesday night against the Georgia Bulldogs.

Alabama Rallies Late to Knock Off Vanderbilt in Nashville

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Alabama scored the final five points of the game against Vanderbilt on Saturday, which propelled the Tide to a 58-54 road win over the Commodores. Trevor Lacey led the scoring effort for Bama and hit the go-ahead 3-pointer in the final minute.

After Vanderbilt’s Kedren Johnson knocked down a free throw with 2:14 remaining in the second half, the ’Dores (8-12, 2-6 Southeastern Conference) held a one-point advantage. Following an Alabama timeout, Lacey drilled a 3-pointer to give Alabama a lead it would not relinquish, and a pair of free throws sealed the game for the Tide (14-7, 6-2) in the closing seconds.

Lacey finished the day with a game-high 17 points for Alabama after connecting on three of his four shots from 3-point distance. Andrew Steele chipped in 13 points for the Tide in 25 minutes of action off the bench, and Rodney Cooper added 11 points of his own to go along with seven rebounds and a pair of assists.

Johnson scored 15 points to pace Vandy, hitting on five of his nine shots while grabbing seven boards and dishing out three assists. As a team, Vanderbilt shot 48 percent from the field, including a 53 percent mark from downtown, but it was not enough to overcome 16 turnovers on the game.

Alabama and Vanderbilt will be back in action on Wednesday night. The Crimson Tide will face off with in-state rival Auburn at 8 p.m. Eastern, and Vanderbilt will take on Western Division foe LSU at the same time.

Hickey's Late Jumper Boosts LSU Over Mississippi State

STARKVILLE, Miss. – LSU was in Starkville on Saturday, and the Tigers escaped Humphrey Coliseum with a 69-68 win over the Bulldogs thanks to an Anthony Hickey jump shot with three seconds remaining. Hickey finished the evening with 12 points, and he was one of four Tigers to score in double-figures.

After facing a 14-point deficit at halftime, the Tigers (12-7, 3-5 Southeastern Conference) trailed for the entire second half before finally taking the lead on Hickey’s bucket in the closing seconds. Mississippi State (7-13, 2-6) failed to capitalize on several free throw attempts in the final minutes that could have put the game away, but instead the Bulldogs saw their 18-point lead evaporate.

In addition to Hickey, Johnny O’Bryant III, Shavon Coleman and Charles Carmouche all scored in double figures for LSU. O’Bryant III scored 12 points to go along with 12 boards and five assists, while Coleman added 11 points and seven boards for the Tigers. Carmouche came off the bench to drop 10 points and seven rebounds, and the Tigers were able to overcome 16 turnovers to complete the comeback.

Gavin Ware paced the Bulldogs offensively with a team-high 14 points and seven rebounds. Trivante Bloodman chipped in with 12 points and six assists of his own, with Colin Borchert dropping 10 points as well. Roquez Johnson came off the bench to score 10 points, but the collective effort was not enough to hold off the furious LSU rally.

Mississippi State connected on 48 percent of its shots in the loss, but a 48 percent mark from the free throw line ultimately spelled doom.

Both teams will be back in action on Wednesday, LSU against Vanderbilt and Mississippi State against rival Ole Miss.

Kentucky Holds Off Texas A&M for Overtime Win

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – A full 40 minutes was not enough to settle matters between Kentucky and Texas A&M on Saturday night, but the Wildcats survived the overtime period for a 72-68 road win. Julius Mays and Nerlens Noel spearheaded the effort for UK (15-6, 6-2 Southeastern Conference) with 19 points apiece.

After averaging over seven blocks per game in his last six outings, Noel only recorded a pair of swats against the Aggies (13-8, 3-5). The sensational freshman stepped up his game elsewhere, however, grabbing 14 boards and dropping three assists in addition to his 19-point effort. Kyle Wiltjer chipped in 10 points in relief duty for the Cats, and Archie Goodwin added nine on 4-of-10 shooting.

Kentucky limited A&M to under 40 percent from the field, including a paltry 16.7-percent effort from 3-point distance. UK managed to overcome 18 turnovers (compared to 10 for TAMU) in the win, and it marks SEC victory number six for John Calipari’s team on the season.

Elston Turner, who dropped 40 points on the Wildcats in their last meeting on Jan. 12, did his best to down Kentucky once again but fell just short. The senior guard led all scorers on the day with 21 points, while Fabyon Harris added 14 points and six boards. After rallying from a 13-point deficit to knot the game at the end of regulation, the Aggies were outscored in the extra period 10-6.

Kentucky shot 47.7 percent in the victory, including a hot 46.7 mark from long distance.

Kentucky will be back on the court on Tuesday night against South Carolina. The Aggies will return to action on Thursday against Mizzou.

Florida Blows Past Ole Miss at the O-Dome

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – No. 4 Florida hosted No. 16 Ole Miss on Saturday night at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center, and the Gators were unkind in handing the Rebels their second consecutive conference loss. Florida (18-2, 8-0 Southeastern Conference) never trailed in the 14-point win, starting fast and coasting to the finish after leading by as many as 23.

Ole Miss’ Marshall Henderson, the SEC’s leading scorer, dropped 25 points in Gainesville, but it was not even enough to keep the Rebels close against the powerful Gators. Four of Florida’s five starters scored in double figures on the night, led by Erik Murphy’s 19 points on seven of eight shooting. Mike Rosario added 14 points, Patric Young scored 13 to go with 12 rebounds, and Scottie Wilbekin dropped in 13 points to go with seven assists.

As a squad, Florida shot 51 percent on the game while holding the Rebels (17-4, 6-2) to 38 percent from the floor. The stingy Gator defense forced Ole Miss into 13 turnovers and only allowed five assists on the offensive end the entire evening.

Murphy Holloway scored 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds for Ole Miss in the losing effort, and Reginald Buckner and Jarvis Summers scored eight apiece. Ole Miss was beaten on the boards 32-24, surrendering nine offensive rebounds to UF.

Florida will return to action on Tuesday against Arkansas, while Ole Miss will face Mississippi State on Wednesday night.

Saturday SEC Hoops Headquarters

Updated 2/2/2013