ATHENS, Ga. – J'Von McCormick scored a game-high 22 points but No. 13 Auburn fell to Georgia 65-55 Wednesday at Stegeman Coliseum.
"J'Von McCormick was terrific," Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. "He played hard and played effectively offensively. We just did not give him enough help."
Senior Austin Wiley narrowly missed a fourth straight double-double, tallying 11 points and nine rebounds.
With Auburn trailing by six at the half, McCormick hit a pair of 3-pointers and scored 11 in the second half to keep the Tigers within striking distance.
Samir Doughty's 3-pointer pulled Auburn within four at 54-50 with 3:37 to play but the Tigers were unable to get any closer. Doughty scored 14 of his 15 points in the second half.
"We've had a lot of close games. We've had a lot of overtime wins. We've been grinding," Pearl said. "For this team to have started 15-0 tells you how hard they worked in the offseason. Tells you how we worked really hard to get good right away, and that's a grind."
The Tigers played their second straight game without Isaac Okoro, who left the Alabama game on Feb. 12 with an injury.
Freshman Jaylin Williams, a Georgia native, played a career-high 16 minutes, grabbing a career-best six rebounds.
"I thought Jaylin Williams coming in and playing the most he's played all season long, just trying to find a way at the three and the four positions to make up for Isaac Okoro, who I think is as good as any player in our league," Pearl said.
"We knew Jaylin could have an impact on the game," McCormick said. "He just stayed right and ready, and it showed tonight."
Georgia freshman Anthony Edwards led the Bulldogs with 18 points on 7-of-16 shooting with seven turnovers.
With Auburn trailing 22-14, McCormick engineered a 9-0 run to give Auburn its last lead at 23-22 at the 5:11 mark of the first half. The senior made Auburn's only 3-pointer in the half during the run, finishing with 11 first-half points.
"I was just taking advantage of what the defense gave me," McCormick said. "My mid-range was working tonight and I made a couple 3s."
Georgia (13-13, 3-10) answered with a 9-0 run to regain the lead. The Bulldogs led 31-25 at the half.
The Tigers (22-4, 9-4) return to Auburn Arena Saturday to play Tennessee at 11 a.m. CT.
"We've got five games left. We're 22-4," Pearl said. "We've got to find a way to win without Isaac, and win with him when he gets back. And see if we can capitalize on all that we've done to put ourselves in such a good position."
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer