Georgia Bulldogs vs Kentucky Wildcats Match Player Stats On Dec 31, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Dec 31, 2017

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- For the second consecutive game, freshman guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander came off the bench to score more than 20 points and lead 16th-ranked Kentucky to a victory.

On Sunday, he had 21 points to pace a 66-61 Wildcats win over Georgia in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams.

Gilgeous-Alexander scored 24 on Friday during a 90-61 rout of rival Louisville.

Kentucky (11-2, 1-0 SEC) also got 15 points Sunday from freshman guard Quade Green plus 10 points and nine rebounds from redshirt freshman Hamidou Diallo. The Wildcats shot 31.5 percent in the victory, their lowest rate of the season.

Georgia (9-3, 0-1) got 17 points from senior forward Yante Maten, 13 from junior forward Derek Ogbeide and 12 from freshman forward Rayshaun Hammonds.

The Bulldogs shot 39.7 percent from the floor but only 2 of 21 from 3-point range. The Wildcats made 5 of 16 3-point attempts.

Kentucky trailed 53-49 with 5:18 to play, but a 7-0 run put the Wildcats on top to stay. A 3-pointer by Gilgeous-Alexander topped the run.

The teams slugged it out in the first half, and the Bulldogs went into the locker room with a 27-26 edge.

Green topped Kentucky with 13 first-half points. Gilgeous-Alexander added seven. Kentucky shot just 20.7 percent, 6 of 29, including 1 of 8 from 3-point range before the break.

Georgia got eight first-half points from Maten. The Bulldogs shot only 34.3 percent and missed all 11 attempts from 3-point range prior to halftime.

The Bulldogs built a 27-20 lead with only 1:14 left in the halftime, but a technical foul against coach Mark Fox led to a 6-0 Kentucky run to close the half.

NOTES: Bulldogs F Yante Maten entered the game No. 2 in the SEC in scoring at 20.2 points and No. 1 in rebounding at 9.3. Earlier this year, he moved into the top 10 all-time at Georgia in both categories ... Kentucky starts five freshmen, and the average age of its roster is 19.43 years ... Georgia senior G Juwan Parker has a master's degree. ... Georgia has been playing basketball for 112 years, and coach Mark Fox is the first to lead the Bulldogs to three consecutive 20-win seasons.