Macon's late 3s power Arkansas past Georgia in 2 OT's

Daryl Macon sank three 3-pointers in the second overtime and scored 25 points, lifting Arkansas to an 80-77 win over Georgia on Tuesday night.

Jaylen Barford added 24 points for Arkansas (14-6, 4-4 Southeastern Conference), which rallied after trailing by 16 points in the first half. Macon padded the lead with two free throws with 1.2 seconds remaining.

Yante Maten, who led Georgia (12-7, 3-5) with 26 points, had a shot blocked under the basket by Trey Thompson with 2 seconds remaining in the second overtime.

Macon's second 3-pointer of the second overtime gave the Razorbacks a 75-73 lead. William "Turtle" Jackson answered with a go-ahead 3 for Georgia before Macon sank yet another 3, giving Arkansas a 78-76 lead.

Maten made one of two free throws to cut the Arkansas lead to one point with 41 seconds to go.

Anton Beard's jumper with 28 seconds remaining in regulation gave the Razorbacks a 63-61 lead before two free throws by Jordan Harris forced the first overtime.

Georgia's Nicolas Claxton blocked a shot by Barford to leave the first overtime tied at 69.

Maten, the SEC scoring leader, won the scoring showdown with Barford, who is third overall and the SEC's top scorer in league games.

Barford, who recorded his third straight game with at least 23 points, opened the second half with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer.

Arkansas shooters struggled early, making only three of their first 17 shots as Georgia used a 9-0 run to lead 24-9. Georgia led 29-13 before being outscored 15-4 and making only one shot from the field in the final six minutes of the half.

Led by Barford, the Razorbacks finally found their shot, making eight of nine shots from the field the remainder of the half, cutting the Bulldogs' lead to 33-28 at the break.

The Arkansas comeback continued in the opening minutes of the second half. Barford's second 3-pointer of the half gave the Razorbacks their first lead at 38-37.

Arkansas led 58-53 before Georgia pulled even on Maten's two free throws and 3-pointer. Juwan Parker's soft jumper gave Georgia the 60-58 lead.

Macon's 3-pointer tied the game at 61-all. He made 5 of 10 3s overall.

BIG PICTURE

Arkansas: The Razorbacks finally won their first road game. They had been 0-4 in true road games, including 0-3 in the SEC. Arkansas took gambles on defense and pressured Georgia's ball-handler in attempts to create turnovers. The strategy sometimes left shooters open, especially early in the first half. ... Daniel Gafford, the 6-foot-11 freshman, was scoreless in 27 minutes.

Georgia: The Bulldogs have damaged their NCAA Tournament hopes by losing four of five, including two straight home conference games against unranked teams - South Carolina and Arkansas. The Bulldogs needed a win over Arkansas, with a No. 32 RPI, to boost their hopes. Looking for better size, coach Mark Fox substituted freshman Rayshaun Hammonds for Teshaun Hightower in his starting lineup.

UP NEXT

Arkansas: Hosts Oklahoma State on Saturday.

Georgia: at Kansas State on Saturday.

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