AUBURN – For the second time in as many games, No. 1 Auburn did just enough to pull away in the final minutes to knock off the Georgia Bulldogs, 82-70, on Saturday at Neville Arena.
With the win, the Tigers secured their sixth 25-win season in the last eight years, an SEC-best.
Here are the biggest takeaways from the game:
Lethargic first-half efforts offensively
After shooting out to a quick 9-0 lead before the under-16 mark, Auburn went cold on the offensive end of the floor, going scoreless for over four minutes of play. And the lethargic vibes on that end of the floor continued throughout the remainder of the half.
The Tigers shot just 31%, going 11-of-36 from the field, in half, in which they only scored 29 points—the third-fewest for them at midway point this season. Johni Broome tallied 12 first-half points, Denver Jones and Miles Kelly both had five apiece, and no other Tiger had more than five.
In addition, the Tigers' defense stood firm and held the Bulldogs to 30% from the field in the first 20 minutes.
Sparks in the second half
Auburn’s first two possessions to open up the second half saw Johni Broome corral the ball in the middle of the Bulldogs’ zone defense; the first ended in an alley-oop to Dylan Cardwell and the second resulted in a Broome floater.
And it set the tone for the rest of the night.
The Tigers started 4-of-5 in the second half en route to a whopping 59.3% performance from the field in the last 20 minutes. Broome exploded for 19 second-half points, and Chad Baker-Mazara went for 12 as Auburn put up 51 points in the half.
Broome takes over
Three days after launching his National Player of the Year campaign, Broome rallied for 31 points – the most he has scored in an Auburn uniform – and 14 rebounds to notch his 17th double-double this season, one away from matching an Auburn single-season high.
He went 11-for-18 from the field and led Auburn to a dominant performance down low. The team scored 38 points in the paint on a night when only six 3-pointers connected.
Tigers fend off late efforts from Georgia
The Tigers’ offense wasn’t the only one that sparked in the second half, especially in the last 10 minutes of the game.
Georgia improved to 46.7% from the field in the second half as Asa Newell connected on a couple of big shots down the stretch, going for 17 points in the half, along with Silas Demary Jr., who recorded 11 points in the half.
But along with Broome’s second half surge, Denver Jones – who scored 17 points as Auburn’s second-leading scorer – hit six free throws down the stretch and only committed one turnover in his 23 minutes of action, ensuring the Tigers would never suffer their lead.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email logan.fowler@1819News.com.
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