Georgia loses as Thompkins, Leslie struggle

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By Tim Tucker

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Georgia's two best players had arguably their worst games of the season simultaneously here Saturday -- way too big a handicap for the Bulldogs to overcome against Kentucky in Rupp Arena.

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Kentucky's Terrence Jones (3) puts in a shot over Georgia's Trey Thompkins (33) at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky, Kentucky held on to beat Georgia, 66-60.

Mark Cornelison, MCT Kentucky's Terrence Jones (3) puts in a shot over Georgia's Trey Thompkins (33) at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky, Kentucky held on to beat Georgia, 66-60.

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Ed Reinke, AP Georgia's Chris Barnes dunks against Kentucky on Saturday in the Bulldogs' loss on the road.

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Mark Cornelison, MCT Kentucky's Eloy Vargas (30) blocks Gerald Robinson's shot in the Bulldogs loss on Saturday at Rupp Arena.

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Georgia's Trey Thompkins is called for a charge on Kentucky's Brandon Knight (12) while trying to shoot over Eloy Vargas, left, and Darius Miller (1).

Mark Cornelison, MCT Georgia's Trey Thompkins is called for a charge on Kentucky's Brandon Knight (12) while trying to shoot over Eloy Vargas, left, and Darius Miller (1).

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With Trey Thompkins and Travis Leslie shooting a combined 2-for-17, Georgia lost to No. 14 Kentucky 66-60 in a game the Wildcats led throughout.

"Those are two great players. You'll rarely see them play like that," teammate Dustin Ware said of Thompkins and Leslie, both preseason All-SEC first-teamers.

The loss -- a reversal of Georgia's 77-70 victory over Kentucky in Athens on Jan. 8 -- dropped the Bulldogs below .500 in the SEC for the first time this season. The Dogs (14-6 overall, 3-4 in the league) have lost three of their past four games and are in last place in the SEC East, two games behind division leader Florida.

Thompkins and Leslie entered Saturday's game averaging a combined 32.6 points, but mustered only 14 between them against Kentucky -- 10 of those on free throws. Thompkins scored nine points and was 2-for-10 from the field, while Leslie scored five and was 0-for-7 from the field. Their poor performances were punctuated when Thompkins missed three open jumpers in the final four minutes, and Leslie failed to convert on a lob at the rim.

"Those two kids ... have been so good that they deserved to try to play through a tough night," Georgia coach Mark Fox said afterward. "We just couldn't get either one of them going. ... It's hard for us to win when those two kids are both having tough [games] like they did."

Both players were at a loss afterward to explain their performances. Thompkins insisted he was "not at all" affected by a shin injury that has bothered him for about 10 days. Leslie laughed when asked if he was injured or ill, saying he "was feeling good coming into the game."

"I'm fine," said Thompkins, who scored 25 against Kentucky three weeks earlier. "I was just a little off today."

"None of my shots were falling," Leslie said. "I just wasn't playing my game today. ... It was very frustrating."

Kentucky (16-4, 4-2 SEC) took command early, much to the delight of a Rupp Arena crowd of 24,352, which included Hall of Fame basketball coach Larry Brown and actress Ashley Judd.

Failing to match the Wildcats' energy level at the outset, Georgia fell behind 9-2 three minutes into the game and trailed by 15 at halftime. Even as Thompkins and Leslie continued to struggle, the Dogs steadied themselves somewhat in the second half, cutting Kentucky's lead from a high of 17 points to single digits with 8:21 to play. The Wildcats stretched the lead back to 13 with 4:03 left, but a 7-0 Georgia run, capped by a Ware 3-pointer, got the Dogs within six points, at 59-53, with 2:03 remaining.

Georgia got no closer. "When we got it back in striking distance," Fox said, "we couldn't strike."

Ware had a team-high 18 points for Georgia, while Gerald Robinson had 12. No other Bulldog was in double figures as the Bulldogs shot 36.8 percent from the field. Georgia outrebounded Kentucky 26-17 in the second half after being outrebounded 15-14 in the first half, when Thompkins played only 11 minutes because of two fouls.

Doron Lamb led Kentucky with 19 points as the Wildcats won their 29th consecutive home game. Kentucky now leads the all-time series against Georgia 113-25, including 55-5 in Lexington.

Georgia next plays Wednesday at Arkansas. "Honestly, I'm excited to see [Thompkins and Leslie] the next game," Ware said, "because I know the type of guys they are. They're going to come out swinging."