University of Georgia Athletics
Dog Notes: Frazier, Gaines Spark UGA Surge
January 13, 2016 | Men's Basketball
By John Frierson
UGAAA Staff Writer
The Georgia men's basketball team played a first half to forget Wednesday night at Stegeman Coliseum. So let's do just that. Let's focus instead on the second half of the Bulldogs' 81-72 win over Tennessee.
J.J. Frazier and Kenny Gaines caught fire, scoring 25 straight points for Georgia (9-5, 2-2 SEC) during one second-half stretch. The Dogs took excellent care of the ball in the final 20 minutes, only turning it over four times. In addition, Georgia played like the team with the distinct size advantage, outrebounding the Vols (8-8, 1-3) 25-13 in the period.
The Bulldogs played the second half, the final 16:55, really, like it was a gotta-have-it game -- which is how you describe every conference home game, but especially when you're 1-2 in league play.
The Vols led 43-34 with 16:55 remaining and things didn't look good for the Dogs. But then Yante Maten, who was swarmed all game and had a tough night offensively, scored on a putback. Nearly a minute later, Gaines hit a 3-pointer and the momentum was turning.
"My shot wasn't falling that well tonight, but J.J. and Kenny, they're great scorers and they can spark up at any moment. They proved that tonight," said Maten, who finished with 10 points, on 5-for-15 shooting, and eight rebounds.
With 14:25 left, Gaines hit a jumper at the Vols' lead was down to 43-41. The teams then traded baskets before Frazier hit a 3 (more on that below) to cut UT's lead to 47-46. Twenty-five seconds later, Gaines hit a 3 from the left corner to give the Dogs their first lead since a 19-18 advantage midway through the first half.
Gaines hit another 3, capping Georgia's 9-0 run, to put the Dogs up 52-47.
The Frazier/Gaines show was in full swing at this point.Frazier scored 21 of his game-high 28 in the second half, while Gaines scored 17 of his 23. In the final 20 minutes they were a combined 5-for-6 from 3-point range.
"They helped us get a little momentum, the crowd got into it and the defense get some stops," said junior forward Kenny Paul Geno, who finished with five points and five rebounds. "It helped us a lot. I knew if one goes in for J.J., that's going to be multiple."
And the same can be said for Gaines, who finished 6-for-10 on 3s. Both players have had 35-point games this season.
After a Tennessee bucket cut UGA's lead to 52-49, Frazier went on his own 7-0 run, pushing the Dogs' lead to 59-49 with 10:07 to play. The Vols cut Georgia's lead to six, 71-65, with 3:04 remaining, but they got no closer. Frazier hit one last 3, with 1:13 left, to slam the door shut for good.
A Frazier Frenzy
When Frazier is in his zone, as he's been multiple times this season, there isn't a much more entertaining show in college basketball. The 5-foot-10 junior, who posted his fifth game this season with at least four 3s, was making things happen all over the floor.
The big 3 mentioned above, the one that cut UT's lead to 47-46, here's how that came about: Mike Edwards got a rebound, fed it to Frazier, who dribbled and spun around a defender much bigger than he; Frazier then sprinted to the top of the key, paused very briefly to see what was coming behind him and then swished in the 3.
"I've seen him hit a lot of big shots in key moments," Gaines said.
And, really, there were about 10 other spectacular shots and moves in the second half, including his cross-over dribble that literally brought the UT defender on him to his knees. Georgia coach Mark Fox said Frazier has "earned the right" to take some shots that might not be the most high-percentage.
"He's got the heart of a lion," said Fox, who got to celebrate a win on his birthday. "The kid's tough, man, he's a tough little guy, and he's got a high IQ for the game. And he can really shoot it. He's really a terrific competitor and that showed tonight."
Frazier ended the night 10-for-14 from the floor, with eight rebounds, four assists, three steals and four turnovers. It was basically Frazier being Frazier, Maten said.
"J.J.'s good for some trick shots," Maten said.
A Cleaner Half
OK, a quick word about the first half. Georgia jumped out to a 9-2 lead before it started getting in its own way. Turnovers (16 in the half) and poor free-throw shooting (5-for-11) derailed the Dogs, who hit 5 of 8 3-point attempts and shot 47.4 percent from the field. Despite all that good shooting, Tennessee led 35-28 at the break.
Fox said he came into the game "extremely concerned" about how Georgia would respond after last Saturday's last-second loss at Ole Miss. Other than the quick start, which featured 3s from Gaines, Frazier and Charles Mann, it wasn't a good period.
In his description of the first half, Fox mentioned being "very soft" and he threw in the word "brutal" a time or two. It was a bad stretch for players and coaches, he said.
Georgia didn't change much of anything for the second half, Fox said, the Dogs just "got back to being ourselves." Just in time, too.
Ogbeide's First Start
Freshman forward Derek Ogbeide, who missed the first month of the season with a shoulder injury, has been earning more and more minutes as the season has progressed. On Wednesday, he earned his first career start.
Ogbeide played 18 minutes, finishing with three point sand seven rebounds. Fox said the 6-8 Ogbeide demonstrated against Ole Miss that he was ready.
"We felt like the other night was the first time in which he engaged in a physical battle and felt confident," Fox said. "We thought he crossed a big bridge the other night in recovery and he's been practicing well."
Ogbeide is the fifth member of the Dogs' roster to start as a freshman, joining Maten, Mann, Houston Kessler and Juwan Parker.
What's Next?
The Bulldogs are back at Stegeman Coliseum on Saturday when they host No. 15 Texas A&M (13-2) at 2 p.m. Georgia is 4-0 all-time against the Aggies, including a 62-53 win in College Station last season.
John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
