Toumani Camara has blocked shots before, but none have been any bigger than one he made with five seconds to play in Saturday night’s game with Vanderbilt.

Moments before, Camara missed a free throw that left the Commodores down by one. He promptly made up for it at the other end to deny a shot by Scottie Pippen, Jr., with five seconds left, enabling the Bulldogs to secure a 73-70 win.

Justin Kier would sink a pair of free throws following a quick foul, but after the game, the first question posed to head coach Tom Crean was about the huge block by the sophomore, which enabled Georgia to capture its third-straight SEC victory for the first time since 2017.

“That was a huge block, a HUGE block,” P.J. Horne said. “He was right on time.”

He certainly was.

Along with blocking the ball, Camara also grabbed the rebound and got the ball to Kier, securing the game for the Bulldogs (12-6, 5-6)

“He made a great play. He really did, and didn’t let the disappointment of a missed free throw [bother] him,” Crean said. “It was a block against one of the best in the league when it comes to drawing fouls. It was huge.”

It was one of Georgia’s more unique games.

The Bulldogs led or were tied the entire second half, but were never able to put away the Commodores (5-9, 1-7), who tied the game at 70 on a bucket by Pippen with 44 seconds left.

Mistakes were a big reason why.

Georgia turned the ball over 21 times, but that was the only negative factor for the Bulldogs, who shot 58.7 percent from the field and enjoyed their third straight effective game from 3-point range, making good on 7 of 15 attempts.

The Bulldogs also won the battle of the boards, 31-23.

“It’s hard to win in this league, it really is, so for us to do something in this league [win three straight]—I used that with this team,” Crean said. “Every night, you win by 20 or you win by one. It’s an excellent league. Vanderbilt was coming off its best game of the year. They were right there in many, many games, whether it was Mississippi State, whether it was Tennessee; Kentucky goes down to the last possession—they’ve been right there. They’re extremely talented; they’re extremely well-coached.

“So, any game you win in this league is crucial, and I think any coach would agree with that.”

Sahvir Wheeler led the Bulldogs with 14 points and nine assists, followed by Horne with 14 (including 4 of 5 on threes). Kier and Camara chipped in with 10 each.

However, one of the bigger stories was the play of sophomores Tyron McMillan and Jaxon Etter.

McMillan finished with a career-high eight points in seven minutes, while Etter not only added seven points in a career-high 15 minutes, but helped do a number defensively on Pippen Jr., who finished almost 10 points below his season average, scoring just 12.

“I knew I would be guarding Pippen similarly to the way I guarded Sharife (Auburn’s Sharife Cooper),” Etter said. “Chest in front, don't let him blow by. Stay down, keep the ball in front. I lock in on those keys and put it to good use."

The story of the first half was the Bulldogs’ three-point success, continuing what’s been a three-game run of success from beyond the arc. Horne was the main contributor, converting all three of his attempt, but it was Justin Kier who gave Georgia its late spark by hitting back-to-back attempts to key an 11-0 run to put the Bulldogs ahead 41-33.

Vanderbilt enjoyed its own success in the first half, hitting 5 of 9 three-pointers, but failed to convert a single field goal over the final 4:15 as the Bulldogs went into the locker room with a lead of 44-37.

Other than the 10 first-half turnovers, Georgia enjoyed a solid first 20 minutes, shooting 65.4 percent (17 of 26), while out-rebounding the Commodores 16-7.

Boxscore

• With the Georgia Bulldogs’ conquering the Vanderbilt Commodores, it's the first time since 2017 that Georgia has won three SEC games in a row (Georgia defeated Alabama, LSU, and Auburn between Feb. 23 and March 1 that season).

• Vanderbilt owns a 91-56 lead in all-time meetings between the familiar SEC foes. However, Georgia owns a 37-28 edge in matchups contested in Athens.

• With the win, Georgia improves to 24-31 all-time games played on Super Bowl weekend. The Bulldogs have faced the Commodores in five such matchups, amassing a 3-2 record in those contests.

• Wheeler bagged his 15th double-figure game of the season and 26th of his career with 16 points.

• Kier notched a double-digit game with 10 points for the eighth time this season and 12th of his career.

• Camara snagged his 14th double-figure game of the season and 22nd of his career with 10 points.

• Not only did Etter score a career-high 7 points—he grabbed his first career steal.

• The Bulldogs were hot from close range in tonight’s match-up. Georgia had 14 more points in the paint than Vanderbilt. UGA: 40 / VU: 26.

• Georgia’s bench outscored Vanderbilt 23-18.

The Bulldogs are scheduled to travel to Texas A&M on Wednesday, providing the Aggies have gotten over their latest battle with Covid-19, which has caused the team to postpone its past two games.