Jeremiah Fears scores 29 points, Oklahoma beats Georgia 81-75 in the SEC Tournament first round

Jeremiah Fears scored 29 points to lead No. 14 seed Oklahoma to an 81-75 victory over 11th-seeded Georgia on Wednesday night in a first-round game of the SEC Tournament.

Jalon Moore hit a 3-pointer during a 10-0 run that gave the Sooners a 74-64 lead with 2:55 remaining. The Bulldogs pulled within four points twice inside the final 19 seconds but didn’t get closer.

Oklahoma (20-12) will move on to play sixth-seeded Kentucky (21-10) in the second round on Thursday. The Sooners have won at least 20 games for a second straight season and ended a two-year conference tournament winless streak.

Moore finished with 14 points for Oklahoma. Mohamed Wague chipped in with 12 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Fears and Moore combined for eight of the Sooners’ 12 3-pointers.

Silas Demary Jr. scored 24 points to lead Georgia (20-12), which snapped a four-game win streak. Asa Newell added 21 points and 17 rebounds. Blue Cain scored 17 points.

Fears and Moore each made three 3-pointers in the first half to help build a 43-39 halftime advantage. Fears scored 13 first-half points and Moore added nine. The Sooners shot 52% (14 of 17) overall that included 10 from long range.