MVPs From Georgia’s Overtime Loss to LSU
Georgia basketball was just three points away from winning its first SEC game of the season Wednesday night.
The Bulldogs lost to LSU in overtime 94-92, missing shots in the final seconds of regulation and overtime. Here are the players who stood out the most from Georgia’s solid performance in Baton Rouge.
Sahvir Wheeler, guard
Wheeler had one of his best nights scoring Wednesday, draining a trio of three-pointers and finishing the night with 21 points and nine assists.
Wheeler provided a big spark after the opening tip-off by accounting for 11 of Georgia’s first 15 points. Wheeler cooled off after that hot start, but he still provided plenty of points. Shortly before halftime, Wheeler had four assists to three different teammates for 11 points, allowing Georgia to keep up with LSU and enter halftime tied 42-42.
Wheeler had a quiet start to the second half, but he came alive during the Bulldogs’ 13-2 run. He scored on a jumper and tossed a pair of assists to Justin Kier. Late in regulation, Wheeler drained a three-pointer to give Georgia an 80-74 lead with 1:57 left to play. Unfortunately for Georgia, LSU scrapped its way back and the Bulldogs failed to score a decisive point.
Justin Kier, guard
Kier simply had an awesome night for Georgia. If no one else deserved to win the game, he did. The graduate transfer scored 25 points, including 18 from beyond the arc. He also grabbed six rebounds and had three assists.
Kier actually had a very slow start to the game, missing the only two shots he took in the first six minutes. But after he drained a three-pointer at the 13:31 mark, LSU couldn’t do much to slow him down.
Kier sunk three-pointers at the 4:25 and 1:20 marks to keep Georgia within one point of tying LSU. Then with 15 seconds left until halftime, Kier drained another three-pointer to give the Bulldogs a 42-40 lead.
He was electric during the team’s 13-2 run in the second half, scoring 11 points. At the end of the run, he sank a three-pointer, stole the ball on the other end, and raced back for a layup. In this sequence, Kier scored five points in 18 seconds.
Kier nearly won the game for Georgia in regulation. He grabbed a rebound with four seconds on the clock and heaved a shot 70 feet across the court as time expired. The ball hit the top of the rim and careened out of play.
His great scoring night continued into overtime where he scored five points, two at the line and three from beyond the arc. Georgia put the ball in Kier’s hands one more time down 84-82 with nine seconds left. He drove to the hoop, but barely missed the shot. It was an unfitting end to an otherwise great performance.
