Georgia wins 5th straight in SEC, beating Vanderbilt 70-62

ATHENS -- Nemanja Djurisic scored 15 points, Marcus Thornton added 14 and Georgia stretched its Southeastern Conference winning streak to five in a row with a 70-62 victory over Vanderbilt on Tuesday night.<br /> <br /> The Bulldogs (14-5, 5-2 SEC) broke open a tight game with a 9-0 run early in the second half, capped by Yante Maten's three-point play.<br /> <br /> Georgia got plenty of production in the first half with a different kind of trey, going 7 of 12 beyond the arc. The Bulldogs finished 9 of 17.<br /> <br /> Vanderbilt (11-9, 1-6) lost its sixth straight since opening SEC play with a win over Auburn, shooting just 36 percent from the field. The Commodores got as close as four down the stretch before Georgia sealed the win at the free throw line, finishing 23 of 25.<br /> <br /> Damian Jones led Vandy with 16 points.<br /> <br /> The first half featured 10 lead changes and a couple of ties, neither team getting up by more than six as Georgia settled for a 31-27 lead at the break.<br /> <br /> The Commodores hit the first two baskets after halftime to even the score again, and went ahead for the final time when Jeff Roberson hit a 3-pointer to make it 36-35 with 17-1/2 minutes remaining.<br /> <br /> Georgia took control from there. J.J. Frazier converted a three-point play, Kenny Gaines hit a 3 after stealing the ball from Josh Henderson, and Maten's basket and free throw capped the run, pushing the Bulldogs ahead 44-36.<br /> <br /> Vanderbilt missed five straight shots and turned it over three times before Shelton Mitchell broke a drought of nearly 5-1/2 minutes with a couple of free throws.<br /> <br /> Georgia stretched the lead to as many as 14 points.<br /> <br /> Kenny Gaines chipped in with 13 points for the Bulldogs. SEC player of the week Frazier, coming off a career-best 37 points at Mississippi State, was held to 12 on 2-of-7 shooting.<br /> <br /> Roberson and Luke Kornet had 11 points apiece for the Commodores.<br /> <br /> Georgia swept the season series, also defeating Vanderbilt 70-67 in Nashville on Jan. 14.<br /> <br /> ---<br /> <br /> TIPS-INS<br /> <br /> Vanderbilt: Roberson and Wade Baldwin IV had four assists apiece. ... Baldwin also had three steals.<br /> <br /> Georgia: The Bulldogs made 19 of 34 from the 3-point line in their two wins over the Commodores this season. ... Georgia shot 44 percent from the field. ... Led by Djurisic's nine rebounds, the Bulldogs held a 37-27 edge on the boards. ... Frazier (7 of 7), Thornton (5 of 5), Djurisic (4 of 4) and Gaines (2 of 2) were all perfect at the foul line.<br /> <br /> UP NEXT<br /> <br /> Vanderbilt: Visits Texas A&M on Saturday seeking its first win since Jan. 6.<br /> <br /> Georgia: Travels to South Carolina on Saturday looking to extend its winning streak to six in a row.