Local Teams

Xavier Pinson canned two free throws with 6.5 seconds left Thursday night as seventh-seeded Missouri held off 10th-seeded Georgia 73-70 in the second round of the Southeastern Conference tournament in Nashville, Tenn.

The Tigers (16-8) advanced to face second-seeded Arkansas, the nation's eighth-ranked team, on Friday in the quarterfinals.

The Bulldogs (14-12) had a chance to force overtime, but P.J. Horne's attempt at a game-tying 3-pointer went awry just before the final horn.

Pinson led Missouri's balanced attack with 17 points, and Dru Smith and Kobe Brown each scored 16. Jeremiah Tilmon added 10. The Tigers made 52 percent of their field-goal attempts in the second half and were 11 of 13 at the foul line following the break.

Georgia got a pair of double-doubles in defeat. Sahvir Wheeler scored 14 points and dished out 13 assists while Toumani Camara contributed 13 points and 10 rebounds. However, Camara missed two free throws with 19.7 seconds remaining that could have tied the game at 69.

K.D. Johnson added 12 points off the bench for the Bulldogs, who hurt themselves by making just 6 of 11 free throws in the second half.

Looking to avenge a loss last month at Georgia, Missouri established a 12-6 lead at the 16:14 mark of the first half as Pinson canned a 3-pointer. The Tigers then went nearly five minutes without scoring before Javon Pickett scored in transition for a 14-12 edge.

Missouri endured a lengthier drought of 5:17 later in the half, but the Bulldogs also went more than four minutes without scoring during that span. However, Georgia finally found some traction offensively in the final five minutes before intermission.

Justin Kier's two fouls shots with 43 seconds left put the Bulldogs ahead 33-27, but the Tigers ate up some ground with their last two possessions. Brown converted a layup and Pinson turned his steal into a 3-pointer as time expired, cutting Georgia's lead to 33-32 at halftime.

--Field Level Media