Georgia Bulldogs Win Shootout Over Oakland, 86-82

The Georgia Bulldogs move to 3-2 on the year after beating a great offensive team in the Oakland Golden Grizzlies, 86-82 Tuesday night at Stegeman Coliseum.

It wasn’t easy, but the Georgia Bulldogs handle a solid offensive team in the Oakland Grizzlies Tuesday night, winning 86-82 and moving to 3-2 on the season. This game went back and forth with both teams shooting well.

Georgia shot a spectacular 52.5% from the field, a respectable 31.9% from three, but were dismal from the free throw line at 68.2%. Oakland shot decently from the field at 41.5%, but did most of their damage beyond the arc (37.9%) and at the charity stripe (81.0%).

-= Related: Georgia Bulldogs Host Oakland Golden Grizzlies =-

This was the type of game I’m glad the Georgia Bulldogs showed up for. Oakland had a Top 50 offense in the country and look like a contender in the Horizon. The Golden Grizzlies had three guys score at least 21 points and had another player in double figures in their 82-point effort.

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Fortunately, the Georgia Bulldogs had a little more balance offensively in this game with five players in double-digit scoring, including two guys off the bench. J.J. Frazier had a game-high in both points (23) and assists (6) coming off the bench for HC Mark Fox. While it seems like he should start for the Dawgs, he’s looked infinitely better as the team’s sixth man.

Yante Maten continues to progress at power forward. He had 21 points on 6 of 13 shooting and again shot impressively at the free throw line, 9-10. As a true sophomore, the kid has serious talent and could stand as a serious force for the Dawgs in SEC play. Maten also had 9 rebounds and 3 blocks in UGA’s home victory.

The starting backcourt duo of Kenny Gaines and Charles Mann were solid as usual. Gaines didn’t light up the scoreboard tonight, but still shot 50% from both the field and from long distance. He had 10 points and 3 assists in a quiet game because of early foul trouble.

Mann had a strong shooting night from the field (5-8 from the field, 1-2 from three), but again struggled at the line (4-8). He did contribute in other ways tonight as well with 5 assists, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals.

Freshman Forward Mike Edwards has been play more minutes in the last few games and had a great night against the Golden Grizzlies. He shot 7-8 from the field for 14 points and had 6 rebounds, but has to work on his crunch time field goals (0-2). Those misses came at a time when UGA and Oakland were neck and neck late in the second half.

Next: Yante Maten: The Inside Presence UGA Needs

The Georgia Bulldogs can enjoy their shootout victory tonight, but well certainly need their rest when they take on a strong Kansas State Wildcats team Friday night at home. K-State is 5-1 on the year and are usually a threat to contend in the Big 12. Tipoff for that game is at 7:00 PM ET on Friday night and the game will air on the SEC Network. Great win for Georgia. Go Dawgs!