UGA Basketball

Georgia cruises past Fort Valley State with 94-38 win in exhibition game

by
Brandon Sudge
Nov 3, 2016

Photo: Spruce Derden - USA Today Sports

Georgia’s exhibition game against Fort Valley State on Thursday was nothing short of a glorified practice in preparation for their season opener against Clemson next Friday. Georgia beat the Division II opponent 94-38.

The Bulldogs were clicking on all cylinders offensively, aside from a few droughts, being led by Yante Maten who tallied 19 points and showed promise to be a dependable asset for the Bulldogs this season. Along with Maten’s efforts, Georgia also received plenty of productivity from freshman guard Tyree Crump who amassed 14 points and showed ability from behind the arc, converting on four three-pointers.

Although against a lesser opponent, Georgia also showed solid play on the defensive end, holding Fort Valley State to 17-69 shooting, or 25 percent from the floor. Georgia also held their opposition to only two points for the first twelve minutes of action. Jaylon McMillan was the only one to make a difference for Georgia’s opposition, scoring 15 points in 22 minutes of play.

Georgia now heads back to the drawing board for their season-opener at Clemson, led by NBA-caliber talent Jaron Blossomgame. The showdown with the Tigers will be televised on Fox Sports regional networks at 7:00p.m. on November 11.

Head Coach Mark Fox

On tonight’s game…

“It certainly was good to get back in front of fans and play well. We had a lot of guys finish some plays. But as in any exhibition game, we have bigger players and more players than Fort Valley. Those kids played hard, I just think we had a deeper team, obviously, and we had some guys play well. It was a good first outing for us. [The team has] a lot to learn, a lot of room to improve, but it’s a good starting spot for us.”

On Tyree Crump’s three-point performance…

“That is what he does. It is one of his greatest strengths. He is a terrific shooter and so I’m not surprised by it. I think he is an outstanding shooter and he is learning a lot about playing at this level. I think he did a lot of really good things tonight.”

On getting a big lead…

“We stayed stable and the game didn’t fall apart. We kept playing the right way. Because we have depth we are able to put fresh guys in and they have to play the right way or they are coming out. And I was really pleased with the fact that we continued to play the game the right way at both ends.”

On Yante Maten’s performance…

“Yante is a terrific player. We scored 51 in the first half. He was obviously the biggest guy on the court tonight so he is going to be able to make plays. But J.J. (Frazier) was very passive in the first half. I think he was just trying to get everybody else involved and he was trying to get those guys comfortable, which is admirable for a senior. But we are going to need a lot of guys to chip in and Yante is certainly consistent for us.”

Junior Forward Yante Maten
On playing with intensity…
“Coach was emphasizing how we need to play hard at all times, and if you get tired and you don’t run every single time, you’re coming out. He just really wanted us to play hard.”On having depth as a team…
“Late in the season, thats when bodies start to wear down, and if we have more players, thats going to help everyone, starters and all. It’s going to be crucial that we have those people coming off the bench.”

Freshman Guard Tyree Crump
On hitting his threes…
“I knew if I kept shooting, I would eventually hit. I was always told, just leave the last one and think about the next one. Keep shooting.”

On being nervous in his first game…
“Not at all, not at all. I was ready, I was excited.”

Quotes via Georgia Sports Communications