Georgia assistant coach Yasir Rosemond talks with Georgia guard J. J. Frazier (30) during the Bulldogs’ game against the in state rival Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Stegeman Coliseum on Saturday, Dec. 19, 2015 in Athens, Ga. (Photo by John Kelley)
Junior guard J.J. Frazier poured in a season-high 35 points in Georgia’s, 75-61, defeat of Georgia Tech Saturday afternoon in Stegeman Coliseum.
The Bulldogs (5-3) are now 26-6 all-time against the Yellow Jackets (7-3) in Stegeman Coliseum and 52-31 all-time in games played in Athens. The win closed the all-time record gap to 105-87 for Georgia Tech.
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Sophomore forward Yante Maten joined Frazier in double figures with 17 points. The Pontiac, Michigan native chipped in four rebounds and three blocks for a complete performance. Frazier finished the night with six three-pointers and went 11-12 from the free throw line.
“That’s a great win for our team,” head coach Mark Fox said. “It’s a great win and our kids have practiced well. We have practiced them very hard in the last ten days. They have gotten better and beat a good Georgia Tech basketball team. If you look at their numbers, they’re probably in the top 50 or 60 in the country. It’s a resume win in that regard and certainly a good win for our team.”
The Bulldogs and Yellow Jackets battled back and forth for the initial 20 minutes. Georgia Tech took a one-point, 34-33, lead into the break. J.J. Frazier and Yante Maten teamed up to score 24 of the team’s 33 first-half points while Tadric Jackson led the Yellow Jackets with nine points.
Georgia raced out of the gates to begin the second half with a 7-0 run. Kenny Gaines got things started down low, followed by a J.J. Frazier three-point-basket on the ensuing possession. Houston Kessler topped it off with a layup on fast break, forcing the Yellow Jackets to burn a timeout.
The Bulldogs held on to their lead for all of the second period. After allowing the Yellow Jackets to shoot 50-percent in the first half, the Bulldogs buckled down on the defensive end and held Georgia Tech to just 29.6-percent shooting in the second half. Georgia made its free throws down the stretch to secure the
The Bulldogs return to action on Tuesday night at six p.m. ET to host Clemson at Stegeman Coliseum. The game will be televised on the SEC Network.