Yante Maten has 21 points as Georgia edges Texas 59-57

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) Georgia players feared they were headed to overtime when they saw Texas freshman Jarrett Allen loft a short hook shot in the final seconds.

''I followed the trajectory and it looked like it was a pretty good shot,'' said Georgia's Yante Maten. ''I saw it go about halfway in - and then come back out.''

Maten scored 21 points and Georgia held on when Allen's shot fell off the rim, leaving the Bulldogs with a 59-57 win over Texas on Saturday in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.

''God heard our prayers, because we were praying,'' said Georgia's J.J. Frazier, who confirmed ''That ball was halfway in.''

Allen said he was ''in the perfect position'' to take the shot.

''It felt good leaving my hands,'' Allen said. ''It just ... didn't go down.''

Frazier scored 11 of his 14 points in the second half.

Allen, who averages 12.4 points to lead the Longhorns' active players, had only four points.

Andrew Jones, who led Texas with 16 points, hit a 3-pointer with 1:20 remaining to cut Georgia's lead to 57-56. Maten answered with a layup before Eric Davis Jr. made one of two free throws, leaving the lead at 59-57.

Georgia's Derek Ogbeide's put-back of a miss by Frazier appeared to push the lead to four points. Following a review of the play, officials ruled the shot clock expired before Ogbeide's shot, leaving the Longhorns with the ball and 8.9 seconds.

Texas coach Shaka Smart said he liked the final shot by Allen.

''It's good to have the ball in Jarrett's hands taking a shot like that,'' Smart said. ''We'll take that any day of the week.''

Georgia (13-8) snapped a streak of two straight losses. Texas (8-13) has lost six of seven.

Frazier missed each of his five shots from the field in the first 20 minutes before helping Georgia rally from two 10-point deficits.

Frazier's first two field goals of the game helped the Bulldogs score the first eight points of the second half. Georgia's first 3-pointer of the game by freshman Jordan Harris gave the Bulldogs a 38-36 lead - their first advantage since 8-7. Georgia missed each of its eight 3s before Harris ended the drought.

BIG PICTURE

Texas: Senior F Shaquille Cleare, coming off a career-high 23 points in Monday's 84-83 win over Oklahoma, had eight points before fouling out with 6:09 remaining. ... Davis had 11 points. Kerwin Roach Jr. had 10 points and finished with four fouls. James Banks also finished with four fouls.

Georgia: Dominique Wilkins, an All-America for the Bulldogs in 1981 and 1982, received a standing ovation at halftime as he was recognized for his induction into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in November. ... The ovation rivaled the fans' welcome for six early football enrollees who were brought onto the court after Wilkins. ... Juwan Parker had nine points. ... The Bulldogs made only 2 of 12 3-pointers, each by Harris, who had six points. ... The attendance was 10,029, about 500 fewer than capacity.

FILL-IN START FOR TURTLE

William ''Turtle'' Jackson was a fill-in starter for Harris. Georgia coach Mark Fox said Harris ''hit the wall a little bit'' in recent games and then was slowed by an illness. ''It really just made sense to move Turtle in there,'' Fox said.

Jackson had two points, two assists and two steals in his eighth start of the season, and first since Dec. 4. His only basket came on a breakaway jam to open the game.

NUMBERS

The Bulldogs made only 7 of 24 shots (29.2 percent) in the first half, including 0-for-6 shooting on 3-pointers. The Longhorns led 32-23 at halftime while making 5 of 14 3s. Texas made only one 3 in the second half.

Georgia outscored Texas 36-25 in the second half while shooting 52 percent from the field (13 of 25).

UP NEXT

Texas: Hosts Texas Tech on Wednesday night.

Georgia: At No. 4 Kentucky on Tuesday night.

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