KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Yante Maten and J.J. Frazier scored 18 points apiece, and Georgia kept George Washington at arm's length most of the way in an 81-73 victory Monday night in the semifinals of the CBE Classic.
Derek Ogbeide added 11 points and eight boards, and Juwan Parker had nine points and 11 rebounds, as the Bulldogs (3-1) celebrated former coach Hugh Durham and Dominique Wilkins getting inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday night with their third straight win.
Georgia led for 31 minutes but never by more than eight points.
Tyler Cavanaugh had 21 points and Matt Hart added 17 for the Colonials (3-1), who tied the game up at 68-all on three-point play by Yuta Watanabe ith just over four minutes remaining.
Georgia scored the next six points, though, and answered a 3-pointer from the wing by Cavanaugh with a put-back three-point play from Pape Diatta that helped put the game away.
Georgia survived without Maten, who fouled out in the closing minutes.
The Bulldogs will face the winner of No. 5 Kansas and UAB in Tuesday night's championship game, while the Colonials will play the loser in the consolation game.
Watanabe finished with 14 points for George Washington, the reigning NIT champions. Jaren Sina struggled with his shot but dished out five assists.
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George Washington struggled on the boards and in the paint, and it proved costly in the final minutes. Diatta's three-point play to help put the game away came after Georgia's second offensive board of the possession as the Bulldogs outscored the Colonials inside, 40-18.
Georgia won in coach Mark Fox's return to the area. Fox was born in Garden City, Kansas, and began his playing career at Garden City Community College. He later spent six years as an assistant coach for Kansas State before moving on to Nevada, where he eventually became the head coach.
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George Washington plays in the CBE Classic consolation game Tuesday night.
Georgia plays for the CBE Classic championship on Tuesday night.
