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No. 1 Auburn escapes No. 23 Georgia with 70-68 win

Byline: Rick Farlow

No. 1 Auburn escapes No. 23 Georgia with 70-68 win | iNFOnews.ca
Auburn guard Denver Jones (2) dribbles the ball past Georgia guard Silas Demary Jr. (5) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Kathryn Skeean)
Original Publication Date: January 18, 2025 2:51PM
Publication Updated: April 10, 2025 10:28PM

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Tahaad Pettiford hit 5 of 7 shots from 3-point range, scoring 24 off the bench to help No. 1 Auburn escape No. 23 Georgia with a 70-68 win on Saturday.

Auburn (17-1, 5-0 SEC) has won 10 in a row and a second straight game without star Johni Broome, who injured his ankle in a Jan. 11 win over South Carolina.

Georgia (14-4, 2-3) struggled with free throws, making 9 of 20 from the line.

Takeaways

Auburn: The Tigers earned a Top 25 win without leading scorer Broome (17.9 points per game).

No. 1 Auburn escapes No. 23 Georgia with 70-68 win | iNFOnews.ca
Auburn guard Denver Jones (2) yells to teammates while dribbling the ball past Georgia guard Tyrin Lawrence (7) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Kathryn Skeean)

Georgia: The Bulldogs suffered their first home loss of the season (11-1). The loss snapped a 13-game winning streak at Stegeman Coliseum — the fourth longest home winning streak in program history.

Key moment

Down 70-67 with nine seconds to play in regulation, Georgia had a chance to tie the game at 70 after a Miles Kelly turnover led to Dakota Leffew getting a look from 3 with seven seconds to go. His shot was too strong. Asa Newell had a chance to tie it at the buzzer, but missed.

Key stat

The Tigers tallied 32 points off the bench in Broome’s absence.

No. 1 Auburn escapes No. 23 Georgia with 70-68 win | iNFOnews.ca
Georgia guard Tyrin Lawrence (7) celebrates his 3-point shot during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Auburn on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Kathryn Skeean)

Up next

Auburn hosts No. 6 Tennessee on Jan 25. Georgia visits Arkansas on Tuesday night.

No. 1 Auburn escapes No. 23 Georgia with 70-68 win | iNFOnews.ca
Georgia guard Tyrin Lawrence (7) shoots the ball over Auburn center Dylan Cardwell (44) and Auburn forward Jahki Howard (3) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Kathryn Skeean)
No. 1 Auburn escapes No. 23 Georgia with 70-68 win | iNFOnews.ca
Georgia center Somto Cyril (6) reaches to block the shot of Auburn forward Chaney Johnson (31) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Kathryn Skeean)
No. 1 Auburn escapes No. 23 Georgia with 70-68 win | iNFOnews.ca
Auburn center Dylan Cardwell (40) smiles while walking down the court during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Georgia on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Kathryn Skeean)
No. 1 Auburn escapes No. 23 Georgia with 70-68 win | iNFOnews.ca
Auburn guard Chad Baker-Mazara (10) celebrates after an NCAA college basketball game against Georgia, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Kathryn Skeean)
No. 1 Auburn escapes No. 23 Georgia with 70-68 win | iNFOnews.ca
Georgia guard Blue Cain (0) shoots as Auburn center Dylan Cardwell (44) defends during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Kathryn Skeean)
No. 1 Auburn escapes No. 23 Georgia with 70-68 win | iNFOnews.ca
Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl yells to his team during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Georgia, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Kathryn Skeean)
No. 1 Auburn escapes No. 23 Georgia with 70-68 win | iNFOnews.ca
Georgia head coach Mike White directs his players during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Auburn, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Kathryn Skeean)
No. 1 Auburn escapes No. 23 Georgia with 70-68 win | iNFOnews.ca
Auburn forward Chaney Johnson (31) shoots over Georgia forward Asa Newell (14) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Kathryn Skeean)
No. 1 Auburn escapes No. 23 Georgia with 70-68 win | iNFOnews.ca
Auburn guard Chad Baker-Mazara (10) shoots betweem Georgia forward Justin Abson (25) and Georgia guard Blue Cain (0) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Kathryn Skeean)

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Rick Farlow

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