University of Georgia Athletics
Dog Notes: Trust Rewarded In Win
January 18, 2017 | Men's Basketball
By John Frierson
UGAAA Staff Writer
At a pivotal point Tuesday night at Stegeman Coliseum, Georgia men's basketball coach Mark Fox trusted his guys. And was rewarded.
After a Yante Maten layup but the Bulldogs in front of Vanderbilt 40-29 a little more than two minutes into the second half, the Commodores went on a run, capped by a 3-pointer, and suddenly the score was 42-39 Bulldogs with 15:50 left in the game.
Some coaches might have called a timeout after surrendering a 10-2 run, though not quite surrendering the lead. Fox did not, in part, he said, because he'd called a timeout in the first half. But he also was willing to let his guys settle down and get going again on their own.
"We were going to play through that and we're experienced enough now we can answer some of those runs, and tonight we did," Fox said following the Bulldogs' 76-68 win.
Asked if he was surprised that his coach didn't call a timeout after Vandy cut the lead to three, Georgia senior point guard J.J. Frazier said no.
"Nah, I told him not to call the timeout," said Frazier, who had 15 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals. "You're just going with the feel of the game. It was just a few shots on breakdowns, it was something that we could control. ... I just knew we could get the ball into Yante and spread it around the zone, and rebuild our defense on good offense. I asked him not to call timeout."
That he didn't says something about the confidence he has in his squad, right?
"That group he had out was pretty old so we know what we're supposed to do in a situation like that," Frazier said. "And me as the senior point guard, I know what play to call and how the game is flowing. But it's pretty cool for him to have that trust in me."
After Vandy it cut it to three and the Dogs played on, Frazier hit a 3-pointer, Juwan Parker hit a 3 and Jordan Harris got a steal and went the other way for an emphatic dunk, which prompted Vanderbilt coach Bryce Drew to call a timeout with 13:46 remaining.
Twice after that Georgia (12-6, 4-2 SEC) stretched its lead to 12 points, but Vandy (8-10, 2-4) kept making 3s to keep in reach. A 3-pointer with 2:17 left cut Georgia's lead to 65-50 — again, no timeout call by Fox — and again the Dogs took care of business. Georgia didn't score a field goal in the final 4:06 but went 11-for-14 from the free-throw line to close out the win.
Smooth Moves
Parker, who missed all of last season and part of the one before that with an Achilles injury, has gotten better and better offensively as this season has progressed. He scored 17 points for the second straight game and has now scored in double figures in seven straight games.
And he's looked good doing it.
All three of Parker's first-half baskets were on sharp plays. After missing his first four shots, Parker hit a baseline floater to put Georgia up 21-13. Later it was a smooth drive through traffic to the basket for a layup to make it 30-17. Finally it was a fallaway baseline jumper from about 14 feet for a 32-23 lead.
"I just try to put the ball in the basket," said Parker, who also had six rebounds. "If it's smooth, I'll leave it to people like you to give me the compliment."
It was Turtle Jackson that had the smooth pass of the night, firing a no-look pass from the top of the key down to Derek Ogbeide in the post for a dunk early in the game.
A Clean Game
The last time Georgia played at home, on Jan. 7 against Missouri, the Bulldogs turned the ball over 20 times. In their next two games, the win at Ole Miss and the overtime loss at Florida, they turned it over a combined 32 times.
Tuesday was a much cleaner game, with only six turnovers. Frazier, the point guard, played 33 minutes without a turnover. Georgia also assisted on 16 of its 24 field goals and had four steals.
What's Next?
The Bulldogs are back on the road this weekend, playing away from home for the third time in four games. Georgia visits Texas A&M on Saturday, a noon game that can be seen on ESPN2.
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.
