Georgia loses 82-77 to No. 13 Kentucky

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — When it was unable to pull away from a short- handed Georgia team, Kentucky turned to freshman point guard De’Aaron Fox — again and again.

Fox scored 16 points, including six free throws in the final 45 seconds, and No. 13 Kentucky overcame J.J. Frazier’s 36 points to beat Georgia 82-77 on Saturday night.

“I just want people to know I can step up in the big moments,” Fox said.

Frazier’s season- high effort helped keep Georgia close after the Bulldogs lost top scorer Yante Maten with a right knee injury less than two minutes into the game. Coach Mark Fox said the injury was “significant.”

Malik Monk also had 16 for Kentucky (22-5, 12-2 Southeastern Conference). The Wildcats began the night tied with South Carolina for the SEC lead.

De’Aaron Fox did more than make free throws. He twice scored tying baskets on layups in the final 2:07.

“I just made big plays in big moments,” Fox said.

Georgia’s last lead was 75-73 before Fox made t wo f ree throws with 44 seconds remaining. Following a miss by Georgia’s Pape Diatta, Fox again made two free throws for a 77-75 lead. Frazier missed a short jumper before Fox pushed the lead to four points with two more free throws.

“We were lucky to get out alive, literally lucky to win the game,” said Kentucky coach John Calipari, who added “Let’s be real. Maten was out.”

Maten hurt his knee when defending a layup by Kentucky’s Isaiah Briscoe. Maten rose to his feet but was unable to put weight on the leg, forcing him to hop off the court with help from trainers. He was escorted to the locker room before returning to the bench where he watched the remainder of the game.

UGA