Maten gets 30, leads Georgia past Temple

ATHENS, GA. » After Yante Maten’s season-high 30 points and suffocating defense in the first half led Georgia to an 84-66 win over Temple Friday, Temple coach Fran Dunphy still considered the Owls’ defense on Maten passable.

Maten made 12-of-17 free throws and finished with 12 rebounds in Georgia’s 84-66 win over Temple on Friday.

“Maten did a great job on a number of plays,” said Dunphy afterward. “I still thought we controlled Maten really well.”

Maten moved into the top 10 in career scoring at Georgia with 1,472 points, passing D.A. Layne and Sundiata Gaines. He is one of only four Bulldogs to rank in the top 10 in both points and rebounds, along with Alec Kessler, Bob Lienhard and Terry Fair.

Georgia (9-2) is off to its best start since winning 12 of 14 to start the 2010-11 season.

Freshman Nicolas Claxton came off the bench to score a career-high 14 points and William Jackson II scored 10.

“Yante has more game than he showed,” said Fox. “He is in great physical shape, and he lets the game come to him.”

Inevitably, Maten’s jump hook sets up the rest of his game.

“He has a hook over both shoulders,” Fox said. “He has learned that in practice in the gym, hours and hours of repetition.”

“It is one of the building blocks of my game,” said Maten. He credited assistant coach Jonas Hayes with helping him.

Obi Enechionyia led Temple (7-4) with 27 points. Quinton Rose scored 13.

After Temple took an early 7-2 lead, the Owls went stone cold, missing 10 of their next 11 shots as Georgia went on a 17-2 run, grabbing a 19-9 lead with seven minutes to go in the half after a pair of Maten free throws.

A tip-in at the halftime horn by Claxton put Georgia up 42-23.

Claxton’s father, Charles Claxton, scored 1,274 points for the Bulldogs. Nicholas Claxton said he is learning the college game.

“The biggest challenge has been knowing where I have to be on defense and offense,” he said. “It has been mental. I don’t feel lost.”