The Tigers never relinquished their lead after the first 30 second of play, but Saturday's matchup at Stegeman Coliseum was a back-and-forth battle of runs between No. 1 Auburn and No. 23 Georgia, in which Auburn ultimately pulled away 70-68
With the win, Auburn matched the 2018-2019 Tigers’ school record with their sixth win of the season over a ranked opponent, handing the Bulldogs their first home loss of the season.
Here are the biggest takeaways from the game:
Auburn shoots out to early lead
Auburn started off in typical fashion, racing out of the gates to obtain an early lead behind a pair of 3-pointers from Chad Baker-Mazara and Miles Kelly.
Georgia kept it tight for the first five minutes of play, holding the Tigers to a three-minute scoring drought after Kelly's last made three, though it didn’t last long as the Tigers shot out to a 17-point lead over the next eight minutes of play, going on an 18-2 run.
During the run, Auburn held the Bulldogs scoreless from the field for nearly eight minutes of play. The three-ball was the igniter for the Tigers during the run, with Tahaad Pettiford at the helm of the Tigers’ success.
Georgia fights back
Just as it seemed the Tigers might run away with the game early, Georgia battled back.
Auburn’s 26-9 lead quickly diminished in the midst of a Georgia 18-2 run of its own that lasted six and a half minutes. During the run, Auburn was held scoreless for over four minutes of play and missed 12 consecutive shots from the field, going 1-of-16 from the field to end the first half.
Tyrin Lawrence and Justin Abson were the focal points for the Bulldogs’ offense during the rally, scoring 15 of the 27 first-half points for the home squad.
Auburn relies on its phenom freshman
The lone bright spot for the Tigers in the first half was the play of Tahaad Pettiford, and his prolific play continued down the stretch to solidify the Tigers’ win.
Auburn’s cold stretch in the first half came with Pettiford spending most of his time on the bench. When he was on the court, he was scoring buckets. In the first half, Pettiford notched 15 points with four 3-pointers.
He continued to be the centerpiece of the Tigers' offense in the second half, adding nine points with a three to go for a career-high 24 points. He has scored in double digits in all of the Tigers’ SEC games thus far.
3-point shooting the difference, again
Auburn had its struggles from within the painted area as the Tigers shot 34% from down low – compared to Georgia’s 50%, led by projected NBA lottery pick in freshman forward Asa Newell who scored 16 points and corralled 10 rebounds for a double-double.
But – led by Pettiford – Auburn shot 43% from deep going 10-of-23, marking this as the 10th time this season that the Tigers have hit double-digit threes. Comparatively, Georgia went 7-of-20 (35%), but the Bulldogs struggled to convert in key moments down the stretch, which ultimately decided the game.
The Tigers will return to action next Saturday for a top 10 showdown against No. 6 Tennessee at Neville Arena. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on ESPN with "College GameDay" set to air from inside the arena at 10 a.m.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email logan.fowler@1819News.com.
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