ATHENS, Ga. – Johni Broome logged his second straight double-double but Georgia trailed for only 14 seconds to defeat No. 22 Auburn 76-64 Wednesday at Stegeman Coliseum.
"Give Georgia credit," Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. "They outplayed us. Their guards are really good. We need to win more one on one battles."
Broome led Auburn with 22 points and 12 rebounds, his third double-double of the season. Allen Flanigan added 11 points.
"Coach Pearl said we've got to fix a lot of things but everything is fixable," Broome said "Let's get back to it and let's get the next one."
Broome made two of Auburn's six 3-pointers on five attempts.
"I've put in a lot of work," Broome said. "The coaches trust me, my teammates trust me to make that shot."
Auburn struggled to make shots, hitting only 6 of 28 3-pointers while shooting 34.8 percent overall, denying the Tigers a chance to win their third straight game in Athens and third overall against the rival Bulldogs.
Wendell Green Jr. stole a pass and fed Flanigan for a dunk that pulled the Tigers within four points with 7:58 remaining but the Bulldogs hit a 3-pointer to start a 9-0 run that put the game out of reach.
"We got a few empty possessions," Pearl said. "We've got to do a better job of either scoring through contact or get to the foul line."
Auburn trailed 37-30 after a cold-shooting first half that saw the Tigers make 3 of 11 3-point attempts and convert on 30.3 percent of their field goals.
"Didn't get off to a very good start which you have to on the road to win," Pearl said. "And they did, which gave them some confidence."
After K.D. Johnson's 3-pointer, the Bulldogs used a 10-0 run to lead 21-10 before the Tigers answered with an 11-0 run to tie the score at 21-21.
Flanigan's jump shot put the Tigers ahead 24-23, but the advantage lasted only 14 seconds before UGA scored in the paint to start another 10-0 run.
"Al really worked hard all week long," Pearl said. "It translated pretty quickly. That may be something we can build on."
Green scored on a 3-point play and Lior Berman hit a 3-pointer to cut the Bulldogs' lead to six before Georgia made a layup with 19 seconds left to take a 38-30 lead to the locker room.
During halftime, the officials deducted a point from UGA after ruling that the Bulldogs had incorrectly been awarded a free throw because of an inaccurate count of Auburn team fouls.
Terry Roberts led all scorers with 26 points for Georgia (11-3, 1-0). Kario Oquendo added 17 for the Bulldogs.
Auburn (11-3, 1-1) returns to Neville Arena Saturday at 7:30 p.m. CT against No. 13 Arkansas on SEC Network and the Auburn Sports Network.
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer
GEORGIA POSTGAME NOTES>> For the 12th time this season, Auburn started Wendell Green Jr., Zep Jasper, Chris Moore, Jaylin Williams and Johni Broome (9-3).
>> Georgia claimed its 97th win in the all-time series with Auburn. The Tigers still hold a two-game lead, 99-97, in the rivalry series. Both teams will meet again on Feb. 1 at Neville Arena.
>> Johni Broome has now scored in double digits the last eight consecutive games for the Tigers. He registered a team-high 22 points and game-high 12 rebounds at Georgia. It marked his 19th 20-point game of his career and first in an Auburn uniform. It was also his third double-double of the season and 38th of his career.
>> Broome's double-double in back-to-back games was the first by an Auburn player since All-American and 2022 NBA First-Round Draft Pick Jabari Smith did so in the NCAA Tournament versus Jacksonville State and Miami (Fla.) last March.
>> Broome's 22 points tied an Auburn individual high for the season next to Wendell Green Jr.'s 22 points versus Saint Louis on Nov. 27. Broome also made his second career 3-pointer.
>> Allen Flanigan recorded his fourth double-figure game of the season with 11 points at Georgia. It marked his 31st career game in double figures.
>> Georgia tied the most free throws made (22) by an Auburn opponent this season next to USC on Dec. 18 and also took the most attempts (32).
>> The Tigers, who continue to lead the nation in blocked shots per game, blocked four shots at UGA. It was AU's 67th straight game with a block.