ST. LOUIS (AP) _ Yante Maten scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and
Georgia spoiled the return of heralded freshman Michael Porter Jr. with a in a
62-60 victory over Missouri in the second round of the Southeastern Conference
Tournament on Thursday.
Georgia , the 12th seed, led throughout the second half, but fifth-seeded
Missouri narrowed the Bulldogs’ lead to just two points with seven seconds left.
The Tigers drew up a play for their leading scorer, Kassius Robertson. But
Robertson’s 3-point attempt went long and Georgia secured the victory.
After starting the game out down 10-0, the Bulldogs (18-14), who face
fourth-seeded Kentucky in Friday’s second quarterfinal, charged back with a 12-0
run of their own. The trend continued throughout the contest: Missouri makes a
run, Georgia responds.
Maten and the Bulldogs put Missouri in foul trouble early. Missouri bigs
Jeremiah Tilmon and Kevin Puryear fouled out and Jontay Porter finished with
four fouls.
Jontay Porter led Missouri (20-12) with 20 points and eight rebounds. His
brother, Michael, a projected lottery pick who played just two minutes in the
season opener and later had surgery, finished with 12 points and eight rebounds,
but shot just 5 for 17 from the field.
Teshaun Hightower came up big off the bench for Georgia, matching his career
high of 13 points. Hightower played a big role in Georgia’s win over Vanderbilt
Wednesday night, when he scored 13 and had six assists.
BIG PICTURE
Georgia: The Bulldogs looked impressive against Vanderbilt in the first round,
and they looked solid against Missouri here in the second as well. Maten will
need to have a big game against Kentucky to keep Georgia’s tournament hopes
afloat.
Missouri: With a home court advantage, Missouri was obviously hoping to make it
past the second round in the tournament. But the Tigers should still be safe on
Selection Sunday. Porter Jr. looked good at times, but he didn’t shoot well
overall. If the Tigers make the NCAA tournament, it will be interesting to see
his role Missouri’s offense.
UP NEXT
Georgia will take on Kentucky on Friday in the quarterfinals of the SEC
tournament.
Missouri will wait until Sunday to figure out where it will go next.
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