Alabama and Georgia play Monday in the College Football Playoff national championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
It was all Bulldogs (11-3, 2-1 SEC) on Saturday on the hardwood at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Ga.
Maten finished with 26 points and 11 rebounds for his 23rd career double-double and seventh this season. The senior forward got off to a hot start, hitting four 3-pointers in the first half and helping Georgia open a commanding lead over the shorthanded Crimson Tide, who were without key contributor Dazon Ingram.
Ingram, Alabama's second-leading rebounder, was ruled out with the flu.
Without Ingram and his other teammates struggling offensively, Collin Sexton tried to keep the Tide in the game. Sexton scored Alabama's first seven points and finished with 15 points in the first half. But the Crimson Tide still trailed 44-24 at halftime.
Sexton led Alabama (9-6, 1-2 SEC) with 23 points. No other Alabama player reached double figures.
Alabama cut the Georgia lead to 16 early in the second half but never threatened a serious comeback. The Crimson Tide shot 29.8 percent from the floor, were outrebounded 49-31 and held to a season-low 46 points.
Georgia freshman guard Rayshaun Hammonds added 13 points and eight rebounds for the Bulldogs, who bounced back from a hard-fought loss at No. 16 Kentucky last week. Maten also had three assists and helped the Bulldogs' break the Alabama full-court press several times.
Georgia picked up its second straight conference win and improved to 8-0 at home. The Bulldogs hit the road Wednesday to take on Missouri.
The Crimson Tide opened SEC play with an upset of No. 5 Texas A&M, but have dropped two straight conference games since. They'll try to right the ship Tuesday, when South Carolina comes to Tuscaloosa, Ala.
--Field Level Media
Alabama | Georgia | |
Collin Sexton 23 | Scoring | Yante Maten 26 |
Collin Sexton 3 | Assists | William Jackson II 5 |
Donta Hall 6 | Rebounds | Yante Maten 11 |
Collin Sexton 4 | Free Throws Made | Yante Maten 4 |
Avery Johnson Jr. 2 | Steals | William Jackson II 4 |
Daniel Giddens 3 | Blocks | Derek Ogbeide 3 |