University of Georgia Athletics
Dog Notes: Big 4 Lead The Way
January 06, 2016 | Men's Basketball
By John Frierson
UGAAA Staff Writer
Yante Maten did what has now become his Yante Maten thing: playing well, playing smart and producing. J.J. Frazier did what he does, hitting high-arcing 3-pointers and flying all over the floor making things happen. Charles Mann and Kenny Gaines, the final two pieces of the Georgia men's basketball team's Big 4, they quietly took care of business, too.
All of the Bulldogs' four leading scorers this season scored in double figures Wednesday night, leading Georgia to its first Southeastern Conference win of the season, a 77-59 rout of Missouri at Stegeman Coliseum. The quartet combined for 56 of Georgia's points and were a combined 20 of 36 from the field. As a team, Georgia shot a season-high 54.7 percent from the field.
Frazier led the Dogs (8-4, 1-1 SEC) with 16 points, hitting four 3s, and Maten added 15 (going 6-for-7 from the field). Both players also grabbed six rebounds, as did Mann, who scored 14 points. Gaines hit three 3s and scored 11 points.
"We love for all four of those guys to score every night — that's certainly ideal," Georgia coach Mark Fox said. "But it's not going to happen every night and we know that our bench is mostly made up of freshmen, one of whom (Derek Ogbeide) missed a month of the season.
"It's going to take some time for those (freshmen) to become consistently productive and so it's important for those other guys to play well."
They did, consistently. Frazier opened the game with a 3-pointer, Missouri (7-7, 0-1) turned it over and then Gaines hit a 3. It was 6-0 Georgia after 59 seconds, 10-0 with 17:21 to play in the first half and 45-32 game at the break.
One thing Georgia's four double-digit guys did was pass the ball to each other and make the extra pass to set up an even better shot than the one in front of them. Two plays late in the first half exemplified that:
With Georgia up 35-24 and Gaines in the right corner, William Jackson II at the top of the key and Mann on the left, the trio worked the ball around the arc from one end to the other and back. All that movement, combined with the Tigers' attention on Maten inside, resulted in a wide open Mann 3 from the left corner.
Georgia's next basket was also a 3, this time resulting from a Mann baseline drive to the basket. He passed up a fairly open layup after spotting Gaines alone at the top of the key. Gaines drilled it and Georgia led 41-28 with 2:01 left in the opening half.
"We wanted to play a little bit better together, and make the extra pass and be a little bit more unselfish," said Mann, who had a game-high six assists.
A Mann Rarity
Mann hit his second 3-pointer of the night with 9:42 left in the game, giving Georgia a 60-42 lead. It was wide open and he swished it. So what's so special about hitting a second 3 in a game? Mann hadn't done it all season.
In fact, he hadn't hit two 3s in the previous 35 games, not since Dec. 27, 2014, when he went 2-for-4 from long range in the Dogs' 86-77 win over Mercer. When asked if he could recall the last time he hit two 3s in a game, Mann hadn't a clue.
"Probably four years ago," he said, smiling.
Never a prolific 3-pointer shooter, Mann now has 48 career 3s on 151 attempts. His good 3-point game was part of a tremendous long-range night for the Bulldogs, who were a combined 11 of 19 on 3s.
A lot of those 3s were open looks because Missouri was often putting an extra man around Maten.
"He's drawing an extra defender or half a defender down there, so there are a lot of 3-point shots available because Yante's been so productive," Fox said.
Any extra defensive attention Maten received didn't do much good. He was 6-for-7 from the field, hitting shots near the basket and knocking down a couple of mid-range jumpers. He did have five turnovers, however.
Frazier For The Block
Listed at 5-foot-10, Frazier is, along with reserve Brandon Young, the shortest player on Georgia's roster. And that makes what he did with 14:57 to play in the game all the more impressive.
Shortly after assisting on a Kenny Paul Geno 3 at one end, Frazier was in the paint with the big boys on the defensive end and blocked the shot of the 6-10 Ryan Rosburg. It was Frazier's fourth block of the season and 12th of the junior's career.
"It was just timing," he said. "It's not like he was elevated already. I just timed his jump and met him at the lowest point possible."
What's Next
The Bulldogs are back in action and back on the road Saturday when they visit Ole Miss (9-3, 0-0). It will be the Dogs' first visit to the Rebels' brand new arena, the Pavilion at Ole Miss. The Rebels play their first game in the Pavilion, which replaces the old C.M. "Tad" Smith Coliseum, on Thursday when they host Alabama
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.
