National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Minnesota 66, Georgia 62
When: 4:30 PM ET, Friday, November 28, 2014
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Officials: # Nathan Farrell, # Bryan Kersey, # Earl Walton
Attendance: N/A

Minnesota 66, Georgia 62: Joey King posted a season-high 15 points as the Golden Gophers topped the Bulldogs in the third-place game of the NIT Season Tip-Off at Madison Square Garden.

Minnesota (4-2), which entered the game at 36.1 percent from 3-point range, connected on 45.5 percent (10-of-22) of its long-range shots in this one, including a 3-of-3 effort by Charles Buggs and three makes in seven attempts by King. The Gophers led comfortably for most of the game until two late 3-pointers by the Bulldogs created some late tension before DeAndre Mathieu made a couple of foul shots to preserve the victory.

Marcus Thornton had 14 points and 10 rebounds to fuel the Bulldogs (3-3), who committed 18 turnovers and went only 3-of-14 from 3-point range. Georgia, which has lost two straight games following a three-game winning streak, also received 12 points apiece from Yante Maten and J.J. Frazier.

Minnesota led 37-25 following a first half in which Buggs scored nine points and the Gophers shot 7-of-12 from 3-point range. Maten had 12 to lead the Bulldogs, who shot 10-of-16 from the field in the opening 20 minutes but committed a staggering 15 turnovers.

After trailing by as many as 16 points in the second half, Georgia got within 52-47 with 7:35 left, but King answered with two foul shots and a 3-pointer to stem the tide. Mathieu made a big 3-pointer with just over four minutes to go, and King made a jumper and two foul shots after the Bulldogs began to threaten in the waning minutes.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Georgia set a season low for points scored. Its previous low was 73 in its season opener versus Georgia Tech. ... While the Bulldogs' turnovers were the primary story, the Gophers committed 13 turnovers of their own, led by five apiece from Andre Hollins and Maurice Walker. ... Mathieu finished with 12 points and five assists for Minnesota, which avoided its first back-to-back losses since Feb. 19 and 22.
Top Game Performances
 
Minnesota   Georgia
Joey King 15 Scoring Marcus Thornton 14
Deandre Mathieu 5 Assists J.J. Frazier 4
Maurice Walker 6 Rebounds Marcus Thornton 10
Joey King 4 Free Throws Made J.J. Frazier 4
Carlos Morris 3 Steals Kenny Gaines 3
Maurice Walker 2 Blocks Nemanja Djurisic 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Minnesota 66 42.3 10-22 12-23 15 25 3 8 13
Georgia 62 45.8 3-14 15-21 14 32 3 6 18