ATHENS, Ga. - Auburn outlasted Georgia in a thriller Saturday as two late shots to tie it with good looks fell short for the Bulldogs and Auburn escaped Athens with a quad-one win by the skin of their teeth.
The first half was one of runs and swings, it was Auburn jumping out to a massive lead that led to a lead of over 16 at one point. Then came Georgia, who woke up and strung together a run of their own, going on a 13-2 run before it finally leveled off and we headed to half at 33-27.
Freshman stars were the story for both teams Tahaad Pettiford made quick work of a highly regarded Georgia perimeter defense with 24 points and five deep balls, leading what was at times a struggling offense for Auburn that shot one of their worst field goal percentages all year, making the fearless freshman’s big night that much more important.
“I would say from a shooting standpoint,” Coach Pearl said after the win “he’s the most impactful freshman that I think I’ve ever had at the point guard position”
For Georgia, future lottery pick Asa Newell was the rock that the Dawgs were able to build off of he had 16 points and a huge impact on the glass with 10 rebounds in big spots to round out his double-double. Newell also had a shot off an inbound with .3 seconds on the clock that hit the rim and fell short and with it a chance to tie at the end.
Auburn was able to pull away in the second half following a rough stretch for Georgia’s offense the Tigers jumped out to a ten-point lead around halfway through the second frame and the Dawgs struggled to break through it until, the very end of the game where Georgia gave it one final burst to try and get their upset bid across the finish line.
A big part of the win for Auburn was keeping Georgia off of the line which was one of the strengths of this Georgia team and something they relied on for offense. Clean defense forcing 12 turnovers and turning it into 13 points on the other end is also an area Georgia has been vulnerable.
“Definitely preach that in practice,” Tahaad Pettiford said after the game “Keep your hands high… we just try to contain them.”
Chad Baker-Mazzara had a big day after a slow start the forward finished with 13 points including some big threes down the stretch that helped Auburn maintain some distance from Georgia.
Miles Kelley had a quiet 13 points and added five rebounds to do his part for the Johni Broome-less Tigers.
Auburn will be back in action in a week as they host Tennessee at home for an 7:30 p.m. tip-off at Neville Arena.
