Kathryn Skeean | The Red & BlackGeorgia freshman Anthony Edwards (5) dunks the ball. The University of Georgia men’s basketball team hosted Delaware State, winning by a final score of 100-66 on Nov. 15 in Athens.

Another blowout defeat looked probable for the Georgia men’s basketball team as it went into halftime trailing 52-31 to No. 3 Michigan State on Tuesday. But then star freshman Anthony Edwards broke out for 33 points in the second half and helped Georgia close the deficit before losing 93-85 in its second game at the Maui Invitational.

Michigan State led by as many as 28 points before Edwards asserted himself into the game and brought Georgia to within one point. Edwards hit seven 3-pointers in the second half and put together one of his most complete performances to date. He added six rebounds, two assists, four steals and three blocks.

Edwards’ performance was the No. 11 highest single-game scoring output by a player in Georgia history.

“We learned how good Anthony can be, not only with the scoring but with the attitude and ability to push the ball up the floor,” head coach Tom Crean said.

The Bulldogs also had solid performances from Sahvir Wheeler and Rayshaun Hammonds, who were the other two players to reach double-digit points for Georgia. But it wasn’t enough.

The Spartans’ poise and shot-making ability allowed them to close out the game and prevent the Bulldogs from stealing a win. All-American point guard Cassius Winston finished with 28 points and eight assists, leading the way for Michigan State. His six free throws in the final four minutes helped close out the game against the surging Bulldogs.

Georgia gave up 52 points in the first half and allowed the Spartans to shoot 20-for-36 from the field and record 11 assists. Georgia improved defensively in the second half, and Crean thought the loss gave his team valuable experience.

“We got better, that is the thing,” Crean said. “I have coached long enough to know it is hard to justify a moral victory. We learned a lot about ourselves today.”

Crean liked the progress but hopes to see the Bulldogs get settled into the game earlier than they did against Michigan State. He also liked the rebounding improvements Georgia made in the second half. The Bulldogs were still out-rebounded 39-34 on Tuesday.

Georgia is back in action at the Lahaina Civic Center in Maui, Hawaii, on Wednesday against Chaminade at 9 p.m. EST. The two teams will be playing for seventh and eighth place in the tournament.