ATHENS — Florida men's basketball managed to pull off a second win over Georgia on Saturday afternoon, 88-82.

The Bulldogs snagged the lead early, courtesy of Noah Thomasson. The graduate guard headlined the first half by scoring 10 of their 16 opening points. Two of those shots were back-to-back three pointers.

Thomasson wasn't the only one on fire, with help from 7-foot graduate center Russel Tchewa. The former South Florida and Texas Tech player scored 10 to aid Thomasson's strong first half.

Florida had a strong attack; their problems were at the rim in the first 20. By halftime, down six, they were shooting 40% from the field, led by freshman forward Thomas Haugh's 12 points. They weren't able to capitalize on Georgia's few scoring droughts, only bringing the game within two or three each time before the Dawgs responded.

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Whatever was said in the locker room changed the narrative for the Gators, who turned the Bulldogs on their heads.

Junior guard Walter Clayton Jr. came out of the gate for the second half with vengeance on his mind, immediately dropping five points. It didn't take long for Florida to tie the game and soon snatch the lead from the Bulldogs for the first time quickly after halftime.

The second half was full of mistakes, but the turnovers and fouls were what befell Georgia in the end.

Georgia racked up five turnovers in two minutes to give the Gators an eight-point advantage, and Tchewa ended the game with five of his own. The Bulldogs had four turnovers in the entirety of the first half but quickly added eight in the first 10 minutes.

They also accumulated 14 fouls, giving Florida too many trips to the charity stripe for their own good.

Georgia was led by Thomasson with 26 points and Tchewa with 15. Florida was led by Clayton Jr. with 21 points and Haugh with 16.

Georgia (14-11, 4-8 SEC) will play next on Wednesday at Vanderbilt (7-17, 2-9), while Florida (18-7, 8-4) heads to No. 15 Alabama (17-7, 9-2). Tipoffs are set for 8:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. respectively.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Georgia basketball falls to Florida Gators at Stegeman Coliseum