MEMPHIS - Georgia men's basketball coach Tom Crean and the Bulldogs finally beat a Top 25 team despite their two leading scorers struggling with their shooting.
Rayshaun Hammonds had 15 points and 12 rebounds, and Anthony Edwards added 13 points as Georgia beat No. 9 Memphis 65-62 on Saturday afternoon, ending the Tigers' streak of wins at 10.
It was the first time the Bulldogs (10-3) had defeated a team ranked in the top 10 by The Associated Press since 2011, and it's their first road win over a top-10 team since 2004.
Two of Georgia's three losses this season are to teams that are currently ranked, with the other defeats coming at the Maui Invitational on back-to-back days in late November to Dayton, 80-61, and Michigan State, 93-85.
"We're very proud of this win," said Crean, who is in his second season at Georgia. "And we did it against a heck of a team. That was a big, big win for us."
Hammonds was just 7-of-18 from the field, and Edwards was even worse at 4-for-17, but the Bulldogs got help from Donnell Gresham Jr. (12 points) and Sahvir Wheeler (10 points, seven assists). Gresham had averaged 6.8 points per game entering Saturday
"It was a team victory," Crean said, "and so many guys did different things to impact the game."
Precious Achiuwa led Memphis (12-2) with 20 points and 15 rebounds, Alex Lomax finished with 11 points and four assists and Boogie Ellis scored 10 for the Tigers, who lost for the first time since Nov. 12 to Oregon. Forward DJ Jeffries, who has averaged 12 points per game this season, was held out with an illness.
The game was close throughout with 10 ties and 20 lead changes - neither team led by more than eight - but it also was sloppy with turnovers (Memphis committed 22 and Georgia had 17), and neither team shot better than 40%.
"Neither team played a great game, a pretty game," Crean said, "but (it was) a hard-played game. We were fortunate to get the win."
The key was Georgia closing the game on a 6-1 run as both teams missed opportunities down the stretch. Memphis did not score a basket after Achiuwa's 3-pointer with 4:35 remaining.
Wheeler had a key basket with 1:03 left to give Georgia a 64-61 lead. Memphis countered with a single free throw the rest of the way.
"We had a couple of chances to knock them out," Tigers coach Penny Hardaway said. "We went up seven one time, and eight the next time and just couldn't do it. When you let a team hang around, this is what can happen."
Achiuwa, a sophomore forward, and Lomax, a sophomore guard, noted the scoring drought in the closing minutes was as much about inexperience for a young team than anything else.
"I feel like that was a game we could have won. It just came down to the last four minutes," Achiuwa said. "We have to follow (the game plan) every time down the stretch. The last four minutes, that's kind of what happened. We lost focus, and this is a good learning experience moving on."
The game was evenly played on the stat sheet, but the Tigers faltered on free throws, converting only 11 of 20. In the final 44 seconds, still within one possession, Memphis missed two of its three shots from the line.
"You want to make more than 11 out of 22 free throws at home," Hardaway said. "We lost by three points."