UGA got it within 3, and then our guys absolutely put on a clinic!
ATHENS — Auburn basketball came into Stegeman Coliseum and ran Georgia off its home court.
By Mike Griffith, Dawgnation Staff
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ATHENS — Auburn basketball came into Stegeman Coliseum and ran Georgia off its home court.
The Bulldogs’ fans don’t want to hear that, but there’s no nice way to say it when games play out in this fashion.
The No. 14-ranked Tigers (21-6, 10-4) handed the Bulldogs (15-12, 5-9) their worst loss of the season, 97-76.
Auburn jumped out to a quick lead and was up 25-15 when UGA freshman Blue Cain sacrificed his body on a Tigers’ breakaway, resulting in him suffering a gash to his face.
Cain returned with seven stitches less than six minutes later, but all the toughness and effort he and his teammates could muster was not enough.
The Georgia band was playing, but it seemed the 2,000 or so in the sellout crowd who were Tigers’ fans were doing the singing down the stretch.
“Glory, glory Auburn Tigers … A-U-B-U-R-N,” they sang, drowning out what UGA fans remained in the arena.
The temperature in the building dropped noticeably in the final minutes, Georgia fans streaming out of the building having seen enough, leaving the lower deck more than half empty by game’s end.
This, after the Bulldogs had battled to stay within 64-61 with 9:29 left, giving those same fans hope for an upset.
Instead Auburn heated up, draining 12 of its final 16 shots from the floor, looking very much like a No. 14-ranked team that was fresh from a week off.
The Tigers used an 11-0 run to break away, former UGA player K.D. Johnson hitting some shots for Auburn and playfully engaging Georgia fans who had playfully jeered him on his missed shots.
Bulldogs’ freshman Silas Demary Jr. — who looked to be Johnson’s match individually with 16 points and two assists — said the game just got away.
“It’s been an incredible five weeks, seems like every game we’ve played an NCAA tournament team,” said White, whose team has lost seven of the past eight games — six of those coming to projected NCAA tournament teams.
As for the Auburn crowd taking over, White — a former SEC player himself — said there’s a simple solution.
“If that our bothers our guys, we should play better,” White said. “The Auburn fans had reason to cheer.
“I think Auburn would have beaten a lot of teams tonight.”
White said that Georgia, meanwhile, “have had times we’ve played well, and times we just haven’t finished.”
Auburn’s transition offense (17-3 fast-break points) and ball movement (16-5 assists advantage) were simply too much for Georgia to overcome
