Maten, Georgia hold off Missouri men's basketball team

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Georgia beat Missouri for the second time in two weeks, but it certainly wasn't deja vu on Wednesday night as the Bulldogs struggled to hold off the Tigers 60-57.

The Bulldogs handled Missouri 77-59 in Athens, Georgia, on Jan. 6, giving the Tigers their first Southeastern Conference loss of the season.

Yante Maten led the Bulldogs with 21 points and 12 rebounds. He was a force on both ends of the court, shooting 10 of 21 from the field and blocking six shots, which tied a career high.

Both teams traded baskets to start the second half, before Georgia used a 19-3 run to take a 16-point lead with under ten minutes to play.

"We eventually got back to our own rhythm offensively and were able to make a few shots a build a lead," Georgia coach Mark Fox said. "We're at our best when we have multiple guys making plays, and on that run in the second half that's exactly what we did."

Missouri clawed its way back with a 21-10 run to end the game. Namon Wright was fouled on a 3-point shot with 17 seconds to play, but converted on just 1 of 3 free throws to make it 58-54. Wright finished with 12 points and five rebounds.

On the ensuing possession, Missouri's Wes Clark fouled J.J. Frazier, who sank both free throws.

Terrence Phillips capped the scoring with a 3-pointer from the wing as time expired. Phillips finished with 12 points and six rebounds.

Frazier had 16 points, seven assists and six rebounds while Georgia doubled Missouri's assists, 14-7.

Neither team separated itself in the first half with the game tied at 22 at halftime. Georgia missed its first seven shots and Missouri jumped out to a 5-0 lead, its largest of the night. The Bulldogs shot 10 of 32 from the field in the first half, including 1 of 9 from 3-point range.

"I think the game was lost in the first half, to be honest with you," Missouri coach Kim Anderson said. "That's the time we had an opportunity to go get a lead and make them play from behind and we didn't do that."

Maten finished the half with nine points and eight rebounds, and tied it on a 3-point play with 16 seconds remaining.

"He's a big body and a good player," said Missouri forward Kevin Puryear, who finished with 10 points and seven rebounds. "I've said this before, I like competing against him because he's going to pull the best out of me. He played really well on both sides of the ball."

Georgia outrebounded Missouri 43-32, including 12-6 on the offensive glass.

Tip-ins

Georgia: The Bulldogs are ranked second in the SEC in field-goal defense, holding opponents to 37.9 percent. ... Georgia has won five consecutive games against Missouri, beginning with a 70-64 win in Columbia on Jan. 8, 2014, which snapped a 26-game home winning streak.

Missouri: Tramaine Isabell has scored 38 points over the last four games, after scoring only 12 points in the previous four. ... Jakeenan Gant leads the Tigers in blocks with 21 and has blocked a shot in 14 of 18 games. ... Kevin Puryear entered the game ranked first in free-throw percentage in SEC play, shooting 90 percent from the line.

Up next

Georgia hosts Arkansas Saturday.

Missouri visits Texas A&M Saturday.