Travis Leslie's layup with 51 seconds left snapped a tie and host Georgia went on to beat Mississippi Valley State 72-20 in Friday's season opener for both teams.

The Bulldogs trailed 37-36 at halftime as they struggled to contain Delta Devils senior guard D’Angelo Jackson, who had 11 points on 3-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc. He finished with 16 points.

Forward Jeremy Price led Georgia with 20 points, guard Gerald Robinson scored 19 and Leslie added 16.

Georgia played without preseason SEC Player of the Year Trey Thompkins, the 6-9 junior who averaged 17.7 points and 8.3 rebounds last year. He suffered a high right ankle sprain in practice on Oct. 30, and he’s likely to miss at least another week or two.