ATHENS, Ga. — Auburn’s still No. 1, and Georgia still lost, but there were statements made by both teams as the Tigers came from behind to defeat the Bulldogs, 74-72, on Saturday at Stegeman Coliseum.
With Georgia’s homecourt packed and half-filled with visiting fans, Auburn’s Wendell Green drove the length of the court for a layup with four seconds remaining. That was the Tigers’ first lead since the 6:45 mark of the second half as Georgia had mounted a furious second-half comeback from 14 down to get back in the game.
The Bulldogs managed only a half-court try by Aaron Cook at the buzzer to flip the result. It went over the backboard.
Green finished with 19 points scored and former Georgia player K.D. Johnson added 20 for the Tigers (22-1, 10-0 SEC), who won their 19th consecutive game. Kario Oquendo had 25 points for the Bulldogs (6-17, 1-9), who lost their 11th game in the past 12.
That Georgia even had a shot to win was borderline miraculous. After Auburn’s Walker Kessler scored on a dunk with 2.5 seconds left, the Tigers led by 12 at halftime and had been ahead by as many as 15 points.
But the Bulldogs fought their way back in the second half. After several missed opportunities, Georgia finally grabbed their first lead of the game when Jabril Abdur-Rahim made two free throws at the 8:20 mark of the second half.
After falling behind briefly by, the Bulldogs forged 10 ties and then grabbed a 68-66 lead on Jaxon Etter’s driving layup at the 2:48 mark. Georgia took its last lead, 72-70, on Cook’s driving layup. He missed the corresponding free throw.
After Johnson tied the score for Auburn with 38.5 seconds remaining, Georgia’s Noah Baumann missed a 3-pointer from the corner. That set up the winning drive for Green.
The Tigers got a scare in the first half. Johnson ran off the court at the 1:22 mark of the first half clutching his right wrist and in obvious pain. A Georgia player only a year ago, Johnson had just committed a turnover when he fell hard inside the lane. He had 12 points at the time and Auburn leading 40-26.
Bur Johnson returned in the second half without even a wrap on the wrist and proceeded to play the rest of game.
