Jan. 28, 2006
AUBURN, Ala. - Josh Dollard scored 16 points to lead Auburn, while Frank Tolbert added 13 as the Tigers defeated Georgia for the sixth straight time at home, 66-65, on Saturday at Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum.
Despite committing a season-high 24 turnovers and being held without a field goal for the final 6:58 of the game, Auburn (9-8, 1-5) was able to fend off Georgia (12-8, 2-5) for its first conference victory of the year.
"It was an interesting game," head coach Jeff Lebo said. "I'm proud of our team. They battled through some adversity. Despite missing some free throws and having the turnovers, they still found a way to win."
After Quantez Robertson missed four free throws in a row with under a minute to play and the Tigers winning by two, 64-62, Ronny LeMelle toed the line with the opportunity to make the game a two possession game with 22 seconds to play. LeMelle, the Tigers' lone senior, hit both free throws to give the Tigers a 66-62 lead they would not relinquish.
Led by Robertson's nine rebounds, seven of the eight Tigers who played snagged at least five rebounds, as Auburn outrebounded the Bulldogs, 45-32 in the win.
With Georgia leading 35-30, the Bulldogs committed their seventh team foul of the half to put Auburn in the bonus with 15:34 to play. The Tigers took full advantage of the Bulldogs' fouls by piecing together a 12-2 run to take a 41-37 lead with 13:17 to play. During the run, The Tigers' scored eight of their points from the free-throw line. The run began with Ronny LeMelle making both ends of two straight one-and-one situations.
Dollard's 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting were the most points by Dollard since scoring a career-high 29 points vs. Jacksonville State on Dec. 31. Dollard also made a career-high 2-of-3 three-pointers after entering the game with only three on the year.
Less than two minutes into the game, Auburn used a 10-0 run to take a 12-2 run with just under 15 minutes to play in the opening half. However, the Tigers' 10-point edge would not last, as the Bulldogs used a bucket by Dave Bliss to trigger a 15-6 run and give Georgia its first lead of the game at 23-22 with 5:41 to play in the half. The Bulldogs and Tigers exchanged baskets the rest of the way and Georgia took a 30-28 lead into the locker room.
Sundiata Gaines scored 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting to lead Georgia. The Bulldogs also got 16 points from Levi Stukes.
Auburn returns to action on Wednesday, Jan. 28 when the Tigers travel to Baton Rouge to face LSU at 7 p.m.