Although the situation facing Georgia wasn’t quite the same as last Tuesday when it blew a 20-point lead at Missouri with 13 minutes left, the Bulldogs were no doubt feeling a bit of deja vu during the same juncture of Saturday’s game against Texas A&M.

This time, at least, there would be no collapse. Georgia made certain a 10-point lead held up, ultimately defeating the visiting Aggies, 63-48.

“The past is the past. We cannot change it, but we can definitely learn from it. That is not something we dwelled on," point guard Sahvir Wheeler said. "We just had the same situation. Looking back on it, we just had to finish out the game. It's a 40-minute game, and we had the lead with 12 minutes to go, which is a long time. We just came out and had to believe, stick to the game plan, and keep our foot on the gas.”

Head coach Tom Crean was certainly pleased.

"I tell the guys that it’s not only going to be the toughest, but who’s playing the smartest because of the way they defend and draw charges," Crean said. "Outside of our turnovers, I think we did a lot of good things.”

Anthony Edwards certainly did.

Edwards led the Bulldogs by contributing his second double-double, scoring 29 points and pulling down a career-best 15 rebounds. Ironically, Edwards’ first collegiate double-double came during the aforementioned game at Missouri.

The win allowed Georgia (12-9, 2-6) to snap a four-game losing streak, while Texas A&M (10-10, 4-4) dropped its second conference contest in its last three tries.

Wendell Mitchell led the Aggies with 13 points, followed by Andre Gordon with 10.

UGA led by three at the half. Texas A&M would close to within one point, but Georgia answered with back-to-back threes by Edwards and Jordan Harris, pushing the margin to 30-23 and forcing the Aggies to call a quick timeout.

Edwards wasn’t done. A third three-pointer extended the Georgia lead to 10 with 14:45 left. The Bulldogs were never threatened after that.

The first half was not a bouquet for the eyes. Georgia committed 14 turnovers, while Texas A&M converted only 9 of its 32 field goal attempts (25 percent), allowing the Bulldogs to head into the locker room up 24-21.

Points were certainly hard to come by.

The score was just 14-14 when Edwards stroked a three from the top of the key to give the Bulldogs their first lead. Wheeler closed out the half with Georgia’s final five points, with Mike Peake coming off the bench with some key hustle play by diving for loose balls that Crean said really opened his eyes.

“Momentum is always up for grabs. That play by Mike Peake (ended) up being a momentum-changing play with eight seconds to go in the half. We (got) the timeout, which we [hadn’t used]. We set our action up, and Shavir Wheeler (got) a layup," Crean said. "Momentum changed, but we’ve got to continue to understand what wins. The guys now understand when you compete, have great practices, and put it together, you’re going to have a chance on the court.”

For Wheeler, the victory was sweet for another reason.

The Bulldog freshman actually signed with Texas A&M, but after the coaching change was let out of his scholarship which led to him ultimately signing with the Bulldogs.

A native of Houston, Wheeler actually grew up within eyesight of the Texas A&M football stadium in College Station.

Wheeler finished with nine points and a team-high five assists.

"Sahvir is a great kid. I think they (his family) were needing and wanting, rightfully so, to make a decision, and I had just gotten there. At that time I think there were five returning players," Texas A&M coach Buzz Williams said. "So, it was just an over-paranoid head coach wanting to have a better understanding of who’s on the team, what do we need, where’s the current team at academically, and who’s staying and who’s leaving.

"I’m probably ultra-slow when it comes to people, whether that’s coaches or players. I think my timeline was a little different than theirs, but there's no animosity in any way. Sahvir's family still lives in College Station. They're a great family.”

Georgia travels to Florida on Wednesday.

Boxscore

• With 406 total points so far in his freshman season, Edwards tops Bulldog greats D. A. Layne (384 in 1999) and Walter Daniels (404 in 1977) for the No. 6 spot in UGA’s Top-10 Freshman Scorers.

• Edwards is now only the fourth NCAA freshman this season to tally at least 25 points and 15 rebounds in a single game. Edwards finished with his 18th double-digit game of his college career.

• The freshman Bulldog’s 29-point game marks his 10th 20 point-plus game of 2019-20.

• The Bulldogs’ 44 rebounds topped the Aggies’ 34, thanks to impressive finishes at both ends of the court. UGA finished with 29 defensive boards and 15 on offense, while Texas A&M tallied a respective 21 and 13.

• Georgia’s 44 rebounds are the most the Bulldogs have had this season against an SEC opponent.

• The Bulldogs held Texas A&M’s leading scorer Josh Nebo (12 ppg) to just two points in 25 minutes of play.

• Their 63-48 victory over the Aggies marks the most points the Bulldogs have scored against Texas A&M in all nine contests.