Field Level Media
Jan 20, 2018
Bryce Brown poured in 28 points, and No. 17 Auburn rallied back from a double-digit halftime deficit to beat Georgia 79-65 Saturday in SEC play at Auburn Arena.
The Tigers trailed by 14 at halftime, but opened the second half with an 18-2 run and took the lead, 44-42, on a Mustapha Heron dunk and free throw at the 14-minute mark.
Heron finished with 14 points, and point guard Jared Harper added 13 points for the Tigers (17-2, 5-1 SEC), who bounced back from a loss to Alabama and won for the fifth time this season after trailing by double figures.
The Bulldogs managed only two points in the first seven minutes of the second half and only four points in the first 12 minutes. They found themselves down 57-44 after a pair of free throws by Brown.
Georgia didn't make its first field goal in the second half until William Jackson II hit a layup with 6:45 to play. Auburn led 59-47 at that point.
Yante Maten finished with 17 points and nine rebounds, and Juwan Parker added 16 points for the Bulldogs (12-6, 3-4 SEC).
Georgia closed out a hot-shooting first half with a 15-5 run and led 40-26 at intermission. Parker scored 13 of his points in the first half, and the Bulldogs shot 56.0 percent from the field in getting out to the strong start.
Georgia couldn't maintain its performance in the second half, after Auburn switched to a 1-3-1 zone and Brown got going from beyond the 3-point arc.
Brown connected of four of his five 3-pointers in the final 20 minutes, helping Auburn improve to 10-0 at home this season.
The Tigers had won 14 straight games before falling at Alabama earlier in the week. They forced 19 Georgia turnovers to start a new win streak and remain atop the SEC.
Georgia returns home to face Arkansas on Wednesday, before traveling to Kansas State on Jan. 27 for a Big 12/SEC Challenge matchup.
Auburn will stick to SEC play and take on Missouri on the road Wednesday.
--Field Level Media