AUBURN, Ala.(EETV)- Just 28 days ago, Auburn Basketball left Athens in defeat, but tonight the Tiger's got their revenge. Auburn conquered Georgia 94-73 in Neville Arena four weeks after they were upset in Stegeman Coliseum 76-64, evening the series.
With improvements on both sides of the ball, 22 assists and a season-low five turnovers, the Tigers were able to cruise past the Bulldogs with ease.
"Tonight, we were better than them. That's a good sign that our team is improving," Coach Bruce Pearl said. "We talked about not letting them beat us on the boards and not beating us in transition with turnovers. We did a great job with that. (Assistant Coach) Steven Pearl did a phenomenal job with the scout tonight. He recommended some adjustments defensively. They were the right recommendations."
It was a near perfect first half for the Orange and Blue, leading comfortably 42-24. Contributing to the first half success, Johni Broome produced a double-double in the first half with 13 points and 12 rebounds. The Moorehead State transfer capped off the night with 19 points and equaled his career high in rebounds with 18.
"I just took care of the ball and made smart plays," Broome said. "My teammates put me in good spots, so I wasn’t in a bad spot to turn over the ball.”
The Tiger's out rebounded the Bulldogs 23-14 in the first half, giving them a 20-6 advantage in points in the paint.
Auburn's offense erupted in the second half as they put up 52 points on 67.7-percent shooting.
Allen Flanigan was tonight's lead scorer for the Tigers with 22 points and put on a show with a couple of major dunks. His transition dunk off of a Tre Donaldson rebound and assist put Auburn ahead 56-36 and the momentum never stopped.
"When Al plays with that kind of rhythm and tempo, he plays without a turnover," Coach Pearl said. "I actually texted him last night that he was going to have a big one. I said, ‘You will have a bunch of points and a bunch of rebounds. You are going to play great defense and you are not going to turn the ball over.’ And, I love it when I'm right.”
Wendell Green, who has been a consistent piece of the Auburn Basketball puzzle, racked up 18 points and six assists. Earlier in the night with 6:13 remaining in the first half, Green banked a pair of 3-pointers within 30 seconds to end a 17-0 Auburn run that turned a two-point lead into a 19-point advantage.
This win marks the Tigers' 100th all-time victory over the Bulldogs in program history and the 94 points scored is a season high for Auburn.
Auburn (17-5, 7-2) now has their eyes on No. 2 Tennessee as they head to Knoxville as underdogs to begin the second half of SEC play on Saturday at 1 p.m. on ESPN.
