Junior forward Yante Maten posted 16 points and nine rebounds to help Georgia cruise past Gardner-Webb 77-59 on Friday night in a nonconference contest at Athens, Ga.

Senior guard J.J. Frazier contributed 10 points and six assists for the Bulldogs (4-2). Sophomore forward Mike Edwards also scored 10 points.

Sophomore guard David Efianayi scored 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting to pace the Runnin’ Bulldogs (2-4). Sophomore guard Laquincy Rideau added 11 points despite hitting just 4 of 15 shots.

Georgia had trouble creating distance from Gardner-Webb over the first 22 minutes before asserting control.

A 9-2 burst gave the Bulldogs their first double-digit lead of the contest with 13:24 remaining. Freshman guard Jordan Harris nailed a 3-pointer 18 seconds later to give Georgia a 54-43 advantage.

The shot by Harris sparked a 12-2 run and Maten’s layup concluded it to make it 63-45 with 9:47 left.

A layup by Harris pushed the lead over 20 points for the first time at 70-49 with 6:32 remaining. Georgia’s lead topped out at 23 points.

Maten also stood out on the defense end with three blocks and two steals. The Bulldogs forced 19 turnovers and tallied 28 points off the miscues.

The Runnin’ Bulldogs shot just 32.1 percent from the field, including 2 of 14 from 3-point range.

Maten recorded 10 points and nine rebounds as the Bulldogs led 40-37 at the break.

Gardner-Webb fell behind by five points over the first 6 1/2 minutes before responding with an 11-2 surge to take a 20-16 lead with 8:37 remaining in the first half.

Georgia took the lead for good at 34-32 on Frazier’s 3-pointer with 2:23 left and the lead reached six on Maten’s basket with 39 seconds to play. Rideau drained a 3-pointer with seven seconds left to bring Gardner-Webb within three.