It all went well for Georgia in Starkville until it didn't.

The visiting Bulldogs (5-11, 0-3 SEC) played well in the first half and held a 36-35 halftime lead over Mississippi State (11-4, 2-1). But a collapse on both ends of the floor in the second half sent Georgia to its fifth straight defeat.

"We let go of the rope, basically, shortly after the 8-minute timeout, when it was still a highly winnable game," Georgia head coach Tom Crean said after the game. "That’s where you’ve just got to bear down and not watch the score as much as try to get stops and bear down. We didn’t have anybody that collectively or individually just took those reins to say, ‘Hey, we’re going to keep this going and get it back.’"

Georgia led by as many as six in the opening period before carrying a one-point advantage into the break. Kario Oquendo led all scorers with 15 first-half points.

In the second half, the maroon Bulldogs roared back. They took the lead with 17:06 remaining and never trailed again.

"You get caught up in your offense or lack thereof, and you pay for it on the defensive end," Crean said. "I think that’s a lack of confidence for us right now. It’s a lack of collective leadership to help guys understand, hey, we’re still going. I think that’s what it was more than anything else."

Georgia shot 40.7 percent in the second half and made 3-of-9 3-pointers. Defensively, however, it allowed the home Bulldogs to shoot 60 percent in the final 20 minutes.

At the under-8 media timeout, Georgia still trailed by only eight points. The game still rested within reach despite the poor second-half play to that point.

But Georgia failed to mount a rally. Mississippi State built the lead to as much as 20 points before ultimately winning by 16.

"I think you lose your spirit a little bit," Crean said. "You start playing the scoreboard rather than playing each possession, and that’s not how it works, especially in the eight, seven, six, five, four minutes mark. That’s not how it works. You’ve got to keep coming. We got a little too quiet."

Georgia returns to action on Saturday when it hosts Vanderbilt at Stegeman Coliseum at 6 p.m.