Georgia Bulldogs

Maten's big first half leads Georgia past UL-Lafayette (Dec 14, 2016)

Published Dec. 14, 2016 9:04 p.m. ET

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) Yante Maten showed no ill effects from a 10-day layoff for exams, scoring 14 of his 18 points in the first half and grabbing 15 rebounds and Georgia beat Louisiana-Lafayette 73-60 on Wednesday night to halt the Rajin' Cajuns' eight-game winning streak.

J.J. Frazier added 15 points and Juwan Parker a season-high 14 for Georgia (6-3), which played for the first time in 10 days because of exams.

Justin Miller led Louisiana-Lafayette (8-3) with 17 points. Bryce Washington had 11 points and 18 rebounds, and Frank Bartley added 11 points and 11 boards.

''We had to beat a good team,'' said Georgia coach Mark Fox. ''They just won eight games in a row and will win more. This was a good game to help us get better.''

Maten had help inside from Derek Ogbeide who grabbed 13 rebounds. He blocked six shots and Maten blocked five.

Fox was delighted with Parker, the junior wing who sat out last year and a good part of the year before that with an Achilles injury.

''He has been really rusty,'' said Fox. ''Essentially, he went two years straight without playing. It will take him some time to chip the rust away. He is playing the best he has in his whole career, and tonight the rust began to come off his jump shot.''

''You just don't feel the same as how you felt before the injury,'' Parker said. ''I'm getting there. I got in the film room and noticed my shooting mechanics were off.''

Georgia scored the first 11 points of the game, putting the Rajin' Cajuns in chase mode for the rest of the game. The Rajin' Cajuns, who entered with the nation's seventh-ranked offense, didn't score a field goal until Bartley hit a 3-pointer with 12:17 to go in the half.

''We never got in a rhythm in the first half,'' said Louisiana-Lafayette coach Bob Marlin. ''They took away our transition because they have three guys back. The big guys just played ping-pong in there and were able to score every time.''

In the second half Louisiana-Lafayette closed to 40-38 with 17:16 to play when Bartley nailed a 3-pointer. The Bulldogs quickly responded with three baskets by three different players to go up 47-38. Miller hit a 3 to draw within six, but Frazier made a pair of baskets for the Bulldogs, who led by at least seven the rest of the way.

NEAR MISS

Frazier had a chance to take the lead as the school's most accurate free-throw shooter, but he missed 1 of 3 attempts. He is averaging 81.8 percent from the line and trails Jerry Eppling, who hit 82.2 percent in the 1968-70 season.

WINDOW WIPER

Bryce Washington's 18 rebounds put him at 507 for his career.

UP NEXT

Louisiana-Lafayette visits New Orleans on Saturday.

Georgia hosts Charleston Southern on Saturday.