BASKETBALL
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 20 points and pulled down ten rebounds, leading Georgia to a 57-49 win over Auburn Wednesday night at Stegeman Coliseum.
The performance is Caldwell-Pope’s third double-double of the season. Freshman guard Charles Mann also contributed ten points.
The win is Georgia’s (9-11, 3-4) third conference win of the season, and second in a row.
“That was an SEC Dawg fight,” said coach Mark Fox. “Both teams played really hard and it was an extremely physical game. We were really gritty defensively. I thought offensively we got a little careless and turned the ball over too much. We just kept fighting, and Auburn kept fighting too. It was a physical, physical game. We feel that’s a good win, and we feel fortunate to get it.”
After both teams traded the lead in the first half, the Dawgs went on an 8-2 run to end the half, taking a 26-22 lead into the locker room.
With just under four minutes remaining in the game and the score tied 43-43, the Dawgs scored five straight, capped off by senior forward Donte’ Williams converting an three-point play.
After Auburn (8-12, 2-5) fought back to trail UGA 48-46, Caldwell-Pope pulled down a rebound on a missed three-pointer and found senior guard Sherrard Brantley on a long outlet pass. Brantley missed the contested lay-up, but Caldwell-Pope followed with a put back to put Georgia up 50-46.
After Auburn was forced to foul with under two minutes to play, Georgia shot five-of-six from the free throw stripe to secure the win.
Auburn never led during the second half, and the last tie came with just under five minutes remaining at 43-43.
“In our last eight halves of basketball, we’ve played winning in seven of them,” Fox continued. “We are becoming more consistent, still making some mistakes, but there is a lot of room to grow here. They just keep battling and trying to get better, and I am really proud of our team. These kids have worked really hard and have been fully committed to the process.”
Georgia held Auburn to just 28 percent shooting from the field, including 20 percent from three-point range.
Auburn was led by Allen Payne and Frankie Sullivan who each had 13 points.
Georgia will hit the road for a conference bout against South Carolina on Saturday at 1:45 p.m. The game will be televised on the SEC Network.
NOTES
Worth Noting…
• Caldwell-Pope picked up his third double-double of the season with his 20-point, 10-rebound performance.
• Georgia outscored Auburn off the bench, 22-6.
• Georgia has won three of its last four games.
Career-highs…
• Charles Mann had a career high six assists
• Sherrard Brantley tied a career-high (and set a season-high) with four rebounds
The Series: Georgia improves to 90-88 all-time versus the Tigers and 59-22 in those games played in Athens. In the last 22 years, the home team has won 18 times.
Next Up: Georgia hits the road to take on South Carolina Saturday at 1:45 p.m. Georgia leads the all-time series 50-48. The Dawgs will be looking to improve upon a 30-17 mark in those games held in Columbia.