ATHENS, Ga. – Trey Thompkins scored 25 points and Georgia upset No. 10 Kentucky 77-70 on Saturday, pulling away for its ninth straight win.
The Bulldogs (12-2) stamped themselves as a contender in their Southeastern Conference opener, snapping a seven-game winning streak by the Wildcats (12-3, 0-1) in the biggest win of coach Mark Fox’s two-year tenure.
Thompkins hit a key one-handed shot from the baseline with 2:40 remaining. The ball appeared to come up short, but it crawled over the rim to give Georgia a 66-59 lead after it had squandered an 11-point halftime advantage.
From there, the Bulldogs clinched it at the line, hitting 11 of 12 free throws, and Kentucky kept missing from beyond the 3-point arc in a futile attempt to catch up.
Terrence Jones led Kentucky with 24 points, but three teammates fouled out in the closing minutes. The Wildcats shot only 38 percent from the field in putting up their second-lowest total of the season, nearly 10 points below their average.