Despite slow start, Georgia rolls past Georgia Tech
By no means did Georgia play a clean basketball game.
But it didn’t come close to performing as badly as Georgia Tech during Tuesday evening’s renewal of the hardwood rivalry. The Yellow Jackets turned the ball over 15 times and missed countless layups, with the Bulldogs coming away with a 60-43 road win at McCamish Pavilion.
Georgia (8-3) started sluggish but used a sound defensive effort against a hapless offensive team to limit scoring opportunities. Georgia Tech (6-4) never could capitalize on many of the similar mistakes the Bulldogs made — which included 13 turnovers and 18 percent 3-point percentage.
Georgia forward Yante Maten was held in check and had his opportunities limited. He ended up scoring 16 points, although all were tough-earned.
Three who mattered
Maten: Despite his struggles, which included only five first-half points, Maten finished the game tied as Georgia’s lead scorer with 16 points. He added seven rebounds and two assists.
Georgia guard J.J. Frazier: Frazier only had four points at the half but ended the game with 15 points. Frazier aided the Bulldogs early in the second half with a 3-pointer to extend the nine-point lead at halftime to 12.
Georgia Tech center Ben Lammers: Lammers was the only Yellow Jacket in double figures with 12 points and had eight rebounds. Lammers was forced away from the basket and shot only 4-for-10. He still managed eight rebounds, three blocks and three assists.
Turning point
Georgia ended the first half on a 6-0 run to push its lead to 27-18 at the break. From there, the Bulldogs were able to extend their lead and pull away.
Observations
Zoned out: Maten only made one of his first five shots, and a lot of it had to do with Georgia Tech’s zone defense. Down low, Ben Lammers did a good job of staying in front of Maten and disallowing passing lanes along the interior. Maten didn’t reach double figures until the 7:41 mark of the game, although the Bulldogs were able to pick up the slack elsewhere.
Ogbeide, Harris provide early spark: Frazier and Maten started the game cold and combined for only nine points in the first half. That allowed for forward Derek Ogbeide and guard Jordan Harris to pick up the needed slack with some big buckets. At the half, Ogbeide had 10 points and seven rebounds. Harris hit two 3-pointers and had six points at the break. Ogbeide finished with 11 points and Harris didn’t score in the second half.
Not the Golden arc-es: Georgia Tech shot only 1-for-10 from the 3-point line, that coming from Tadric Jackson with 6:35 left in the game. Quinton Stephens was a woeful 0-for-4 and has failed to make a trey in his last three games.
Sloppy first half: Neither team got out to a good start in the game’s first 20 minutes. For Georgia Tech, that has been the norm. For Georgia, it was not expected, especially coming off wins over Louisiana-Lafayette and Charleston Southern. In the first half, the Bulldogs committed eight turnovers and shot only 31 percent. But they were outdone, in a bad way, by Georgia Tech’s 10 turnovers and 26 percent shooting at the intermission.
Worth mentioning
Football team honored: During the first official timeout of the second half, the center court scoreboard began playing highlights from Georgia Tech’s 28-27 win over Georgia. Soon after, the football team walked onto the court to a rousing ovation while holding up the Governor’s Cup. When it got quiet, Georgia fans in attendance began to boo before Georgia Tech fans drowned them out with cheers. The rivalry lives on.
Maten’s streak continues: It did seem in doubt for a moment. But Maten was able to put in a solid second-half performance and finish the game in double figures for the 27th consecutive game. Maten entered the day leading the SEC in scoring.
Unusual score in Atlanta: Georgia doesn’t often come to Atlanta and defeat Georgia Tech by this large of a margin. The last time the Bulldogs did so on the road in this rivalry was during the 1980-81 season, with Georgia winning 55-38. The only margin of victory larger in Georgia’s favor in Atlanta came on Jan. 29, 1909, with Georgia defeating Georgia Tech 69-13.
What they said
Frazier on adjusting to Georgia Tech’s zone defense: “We just had to figure out what they were doing. You’ve got to give Tech credit. They came out with something we weren’t prepared for, that we weren’t expecting. We knew it was going to be a zone but we didn’t think it was going to be a triangle-and-two. That set us back a couple of years in the game.”
Ogbeide on his first-half performance: “The floor opened up for me. They were playing extra hard on our two main guys, and I saw the opportunity and took advantage of it.”
Georgia head coach Mark Fox on needing to capitalize more on Georgia Tech’s turnovers: “They were wound up, too, I think. They had some turnovers in the first half. Early, it was a handful. We didn’t take advantage because we were just as wound up. We probably could have done a better job there.”
Georgia Tech head coach Josh Pastner on lack of scoring: “It’s hard for us when Tadric (Jackson) and Quinton (Stephens) are a combined 2-for-15. We’re limited. We don’t have a lot of options on that, and it makes it tough. We need Quinton and Tadric to step up and put the ball in the basket, and when they’re not it makes it hard.”
Pastner on his team’s effort: “I’ve got no issue with our effort. They give me every ounce of energy they can give you. We just struggle scoring, and when you struggle scoring like that, it makes it really tough. Give Georgia credit but for us that’s been one of the things for the season and we’ve got to find solutions to help us on that.”
What’s next?
Georgia hits the road once again with a game Friday at Oakland. It’s scheduled for a 7 p.m. tip. Georgia Tech hosts Wofford at 7 p.m. on Thursday.
The Telegraph’s Stan Awtrey contributed to this story.
This story was originally published December 20, 2016 at 8:54 PM with the headline "Despite slow start, Georgia rolls past Georgia Tech."