LSU basketball stayed competitive with Georgia for much of the first half, but an extended dry stretch in the second led to the Tigers falling to the Bulldogs on Wednesday night, 68-66, in Athens, Georgia.

The teams traded the lead throughout the first half, with LSU (11-8, 3-3 SEC) cutting a seven-point deficit to two entering the locker room. Although the Tigers didn't lead early in the second, they largely kept it close throughout the half's opening minutes. After a media timeout, though, the bottom nearly fell out.

LSU went nearly seven minutes between baskets, with free throws providing the team's only points. Still, the defense kept Georgia (14-5, 4-2) from running away with it – the Bulldogs never led by double digits despite the Tigers' poor shooting. The offense heated up in the game's final seconds, with a Jalen Cook three-point play giving LSU the lead with 17 seconds to go.

But UGA center Russel Tchewa took the lead back with just 2.3 seconds to play, sinking a layup and making a free throw to put Georgia up for good. Still, LSU had a shot to win. Star forward Jordan Wright had an open look from the corner, but his attempted buzzer-beater rattled out of the rim, sealing the defeat.

Tigers fall in foul trouble

At least some of the outcome can be explained by the teams' disparate fates from the free-throw stripe. While Georgia and LSU were close with two and six respective free throw attempts in the first half, UGA drew many more shooting fouls. While the Tigers had just 12 attempts from the line and entered the bonus earlier, Georgia shot 18.

Trouble from two

LSU struggled inside the 3-point line, especially close to the rim. The Tigers shot just 35% on their two-pointers, and while that total is already low, it was even lower on the layups. LSU shot 7-of-22 on layups for just a 31.8% shooting percentage.

Jalen Cook erupts from deep

Entering Wednesday, the Tulane transfer had made just 27% of his 3-point attempts, including just a combined four in his last four games. Against the Bulldogs, he had his best shooting game in nearly a calendar year, making 4 of 8 from beyond the arc. It was his most made threes with the Tigers.

What to know: LSU basketball vs. Georgia: Get tip-off, TV, and betting info for Wednesday's game here

What's next

LSU travels to Alabama on Saturday.

LSU basketball vs Georgia: Live scores and updates

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This article originally appeared on The Courier: LSU basketball falls to Georgia at the buzzer in heartbreaking loss