Basketball on its most basic level is simple.

If you put the ball through the hoop more times than your opponent, you’ll win the game.

Somehow the Bulldogs made more buckets than their opponents in yet another game, but they still managed to lose to LSU 61-53 on Wednesday night in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

Although Georgia (12-15, 3-10) shot less than 40 percent from the field, it managed to make three more baskets than LSU.

Gerald Robinson

But another slow start to the game combined with allowing 30 free throw attempts to the Tigers (17-10, 7-6) proved to be too much for the Bulldogs to overcome.

“It’s hard to win when you don’t come as prepared to play as you need to,” Georgia head coach Mark Fox said. “I just felt like we got off to a very poor start and we played uphill from that point. Certainly they had more free throw attempts than us, but we have to have a more mature mentality when we come to the gym.”

The Bulldogs’ lack of preparation was imminent from the get-go, as LSU jumped out to a 10-0 lead before Georgia scored its first points of the game with 17:07 left in the first half.

As they have all season, the Bulldogs missed easy points near the bucket as they failed to reach double-digits until more than midway through the first half.

Georgia didn’t quit, though, as it fought back to keep the game close, led by an unlikely candidate — freshman John Cannon.

Cannon, who had played only 28 minutes all season, was forced into action due to foul trouble by the Georgia frontcourt, and he managed to take full advantage of his opportunity on the court.

Although Cannon did not light up the stat sheet, he came off the bench and infused his team with the one thing they had been lacking — energy.

Cannon came in and brought down rebounds, had a key block, and even showed off a post move or two on his time on the court as he help lead the Georgia comeback.

“John has been practicing really well,” Fox said. “He’s had a real hard [time] learning the system of play. It’s been tough for him and he’s made a lot of progress there and I thought tonight he played pretty well when he was in the game.”

But the Bulldogs’ attempt at a comeback was short-lived.

Georgia managed to cut the LSU lead to just three, 45-42, with 6:49 left, until for a second game in a row, an opponent made back-to-back 3-pointers.

On Sunday against Vanderbilt, it was John Jenkins with the six straight points, and on Wednesday it was the combination of Andre Stringer and Ralston Turner that put the dagger in the Bulldogs comeback attempt.

“We got it back in a position to win the game after the slow start,” Fox said. “That was kind of the mission — to get back and have a chance to win it, but they made those back-to-back threes which really hurt us.”

Georgia senior Gerald Robinson ended with a team-high 17 points as he and freshman Kentavious Caldwell-Pope — who scored 10 points — were the only Bulldogs who ended with the night in double figures.

The Bulldogs will come back home for a Saturday afternoon matchup against Florida.

Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m.