ATHENS, Ga. (AP) Dylan Windler scored 21 points and Belmont hit 14 3-pointers to beat Georgia 78-69 on Wednesday night in the first round of the NIT.
No. 7 seed Belmont (23-6) has won five of its last six games and will play at sixth-seeded Georgia Tech (19-15) in the second round.
The Bulldogs played without their second- and third-leading scorers, Yante Maten and Juwan Parker. Maten, the Southeastern Conference's fourth-leading scorer with 18.2 ppg, suffered a setback from his knee sprain following the SEC Tournament, while Parker suffered a partial tear to his right Achilles.
Windler shot 7 of 11 from the floor and made three 3-pointers. Evan Bradds and Taylor Barnette had 15 points apiece, and Amanze Egekeze finished with 14. Belmont shot 45 percent (14 of 31) from long range. Egekeze and Barnette each made four 3s.
Senior guard J.J. Frazier scored 29 points on 9-of-22 shooting and made 11 of 12 free throws to lead No. 2 seed Georgia (19-15). The Bulldogs shot 4 of 17 from beyond the arc.
The Bruins opened the second half on a 26-16 run for a 63-50 lead with about 10 minutes to play. Georgia pulled to 72-64 with 3:23 remaining but didn't get closer.
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