Georgia basketball could not close its regular season with an eye-popping upset, falling 92-78 at No. 13 Auburn.
The Bulldogs (16-15, 6-12 SEC) were overwhelmed by the Tigers’ (24-7, 13-5) talent-stacked roster and an electric Neville Arena crowd on Saturday.
Auburn wasted little time establishing dominance, taking its first double-digit lead in the game’s opening five minutes. The same Tiger fans that flooded Stegeman Coliseum two weeks ago enjoyed a multi-possession lead throughout the rest of the contest.
The Bulldogs attempted to gnaw back into the game with several late-game pushes but never got within 10 points of Auburn’s lead. Georgia’s top two second half pushes - scoring runs of 9-0 and 7-0 - came as answers to massive deficits.
UGA never truly threatened Auburn’s lead after halftime.
The Tigers put the game away for good in the final five minutes, shooting 10 of 12 from the free throw line.
Yet UGA coach Mike White found encouragement in his team’s fight down the stretch. The Bulldogs have lost several key SEC matchups in the waning minutes this season but continued to grapple with the Tigers to the buzzer.
“It could have gotten ugly, as it has gotten ugly in this building against other teams, honestly, that are really good,” White said. “The hole that we dug ourselves early in the game was the difference.”
White cited Georgia’s win in the rebounding column - a 38-36 advantage - as evidence for his team’s resilience.
Auburn took the double-digit lead for good with a 7-0 run from the 5:00 mark to 3:17. Tiger guard Tre Donaldson followed a 3-pointer with a layup before Chad Baker-Mazara finished the run with a thunderous dunk.
Suddenly, the Tigers led 37-23.
Auburn shot an impressive 11 of 23 from 3-point range. Georgia was just 7 of 22 from beyond the arc.
Point guard Silas Demary Jr. led the Bulldog attack with 15 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal. The true freshman led the team in scoring for the sixth time this season.
UGA now shifts focus to likely its only remaining chance at an NCAA Tournament berth: winning the SEC Tournament in Nashville. White aims to reach 17 wins - topping his record from Year One in Athens - by beating No. 14 seed Missouri at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
