AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Johni Broome scored a season-high 31 points and added 14 rebounds as No. 1 Auburn defeated Georgia 82-70 on Saturday.
For the second straight game, Auburn (25-2, 13-1 SEC) found itself in a tight contest against an unranked opponent before pulling away in the final minutes.
Broome took over in the second half, including a run of seven straight points for the Tigers. The double-double was his 17th of the season.
Denver Jones added 17 points for the Tigers, while Chad Baker-Mazara and Miles Kelly had 11 each.
Asa Newell led the Bulldogs (16-11, 4-10) with 20 points. Silas Demary Jr. added 18.
Georgia: The Bulldogs have struggled mightily on offense in road games this season, and a low-scoring first half didn’t bode well for them. However, Georgia was able to score efficiently on Auburn after halftime, which could give Mike White’s team momentum moving forward.
Auburn: In an odd twist, the SEC leaders have shot the ball much better on the road than at home in conference play. The Tigers will want to find their offense again for their final two games at Neville Arena.
Shortly after an incident in which four technical fouls — two on each team — were issued, Auburn went on a 7-2 run. That stretch included a wild fast-break play in which Dylan Cardwell secured a steal and threw the ball the length of the floor to Broome, who passed it to Baker-Mazara for a layup.
Broome, who did not play in Auburn’s first meeting with Georgia in January due to an ankle injury, went a perfect 7 for 7 from the field in the second half.
Georgia returns home to host No. 2 Florida on Tuesday. Auburn hosts No. 24 Ole Miss on Wednesday.
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