Wednesday night the Georgia men’s basketball team began their game against Tennessee the same way it had begun their last two games – with bad shooting leading to a double-digit deficit.

The Bulldogs (13-7, 5-3 SEC) had previously come back to beat both Kentucky and LSU, but they finally found a lead they couldn’t overcome, losing 82-71 to the Vols.

Georgia hasn’t won a game in Knoxville since 2001.

Showing that playing at home can cure any road woes, Tennessee (15-7, 3-4) came out strong after losing their last four road games. The Vols remain undefeated at home.

Georgia never led during the game and the only tie of the game was a 3-3 score in the opening minutes.

The three-point shot that has fallen for the Bulldogs all season was nonexisten Wednesday night.

Georgia shot 1-14 from beyond the arc in the first half and finished the game making only six of their 26 3-point attempts.

The Vols shot at 48 percent from three-point range.

Overall, the Bulldogs shot 38.5 percent from the field, while Tennessee shot 57 percent, taking 16 fewer shots than Georgia.

“We were missing everything,” guard Sundiata Gaines told the Georgia Bulldogs Radio Network after the game.

“Sometimes things don’t go your way on offense. That’s when you have to turn to defense and we didn’t have that tonight.”

Gaines led the Bulldogs with 21 points and seven rebounds.

Takais Brown and Levi Stukes each had 12 points for Georgia.

For the Vols, it was a pair of Smiths that led the way, with JaJuan Smith scoring 22 points and Ramar Smith scoring 21 points.

Georgia did force 18 Tennessee turnovers. The team matched its season low by only committing 10 turnovers, but it was the lack of offense that did in the Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs were behind by as much as 13 points in the first half, but went on a run to end the half down 37-33.

After halftime, Tennessee scored five quick points in the first two minutes and did not look back.
Georgia did manage to close the gap to seven points, but the Vols were able to hold the Bulldogs off.

“We didn’t play well at either end,” head coach Dennis Felton said during his post-game radio show.

“We didn’t have the focus and readiness and that’s going to happen in the marathon of a college basketball season.”

The Bulldogs will head back to the state of Tennessee to play Vanderbilt Saturday in Nashville.