Georgia Victory Brings a Trip to NIT Semifinals

Georgia freshman Jumaine Jones scored 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to help the Bulldogs in a 79-65 victory over Vanderbilt that earned Georgia a trip to New York for the National Invitation Tournament’s semifinals.

The Bulldogs (19-14) will play Penn State (18-12) on Tuesday.

Jones scored seven points in a row during a three-minute span of the second half to help Georgia take control against a fellow Southeastern Conference foe, giving Georgia its second victory in three meetings with the Commodores (20-13) this season.

Jones’ three baskets in a row gave Georgia a 64-58 lead with 5:37 to play, and the lead reached 10 points just over two minutes later when Derrick Dukes made a three-point basket from the right corner and G.G. Smith made two of three free throws.

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Jason Cox scored 22 of his game-high 27 points in the first half for UC Davis, which advanced to the Division II championship game with an 88-76 win over the College of St. Rose (27-6) at Louisville, Ky.

The Aggies (30-2) will play Kentucky Wesleyan (31-2), which got 25 points and nine rebounds from Dana Williams in an 80-72 win over Virginia Union (26-6) in the other semifinal.

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Micah Sullivan and T.J. Walker scored 13 points each for top-seeded Azusa Pacific, which was a 72-64 winner over Transylvania (Ky.) in the third round of the NAIA Division I tournament at Tulsa, Okla. In another game, East Central (Okla) beat Biola, 90-84.