How the game was won: LSU (17-10, 7-6 SEC) led the entire game and earned a valuable SEC win after holding off two Georgia (12-15, 3-10) charges in the second half in which the Bulldogs cut the Tigers’ lead to two points, and another that cut it to four in the closing minutes.

Turning point: LSU jumped to a 10-0 lead in the game’s opening minutes and would hold the lead for the rest of the game.

Stat of the game: 23. LSU shot 23 more free throws than Georgia did. The Tigers were 18-for-30 from the foul line, while the Bulldogs were only 5-for-7.

Player of the game: Andre Stringer. The LSU guard scored a game-high 18 points, including a 4-for-9 effort from 3-point range, to lead his team to victory. Stringer and Ralston Turner hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the game’s closing minutes to pace an 8-2 run that put away the win.

What it means: Georgia loses its third consecutive SEC game to fall three games below .500. That makes a postseason trip increasingly unlikely. LSU, meanwhile, is a game above .500 with games against Ole Miss, Auburn and Tennessee remaining, giving the Tigers reason to believe an NCAA tournament is still a strong possibility.