Georgia avoided a season sweep at the hands of Auburn by leading wire to wire and beating the host Tigers 91-86 on Tuesday night.
The Bulldogs, who held a 15-point lead midway through the second half, had to hold off several runs by the Tigers over the final three minutes.
Auburn (10-9, 4-6 Southeastern Conference) earned a 95-77 victory over Georgia (11-6, 4-6) in the teams' Jan. 13 meeting at Athens, Ga.
Tye Fagan led the Bulldogs, who outscored the Tigers 52-34 in the paint, with 16 points.
Toumani Camara added 15 points while Sahvir Wheeler and P.J. Horne had 13 each for Georgia. Also scoring in double figures were K.D. Johnson with 12 and Justin Kier with 11.
Jaylin Williams led the Tigers with 21 points. Sharife Cooper added 19 points and nine assists before fouling out in the final minute.
Also in double figures for the Tigers were Jamal Johnson with 13 points and Devan Cambridge and Allen Flanigan, who had 12 apiece.
Led by Fagan's seven points, the Bulldogs leaped to a 10-2 lead. Georgia built on that advantage and was on top 23-13 near the midpoint of the first half.
Auburn began chipping away at the deficit, drawing within 27-25 at the 5:38 mark with two Cooper foul shots. But Georgia rallied again and again moved to a 37-27 edge with 1:52 left.
The Bulldogs went to the locker room with a 39-30 lead.
Cooper had six points in the half but just one field goal in four attempts while committing three turnovers. Williams had seven points.
Wheeler had just five points on 2-of-7 shooting before the break while Fagan and Camara had seven apiece for the Bulldogs.
Georgia will be back in action on Saturday afternoon against visiting Vanderbilt. Auburn will host Ole Miss, also on Saturday afternoon.
--Field Level Media
Georgia | Auburn | |
Tye Fagan 16 | Scoring | Jaylin Williams 21 |
Sahvir Wheeler 7 | Assists | Sharife Cooper 9 |
Toumani Camara 12 | Rebounds | Jamal Johnson 6 |
K.D. Johnson 5 | Free Throws Made | Sharife Cooper 8 |
Sahvir Wheeler 3 | Steals | Devan Cambridge 3 |
Toumani Camara 1 | Blocks | Jaylin Williams 3 |