Saturday, January 12
Auburn, Ala.
4:00
University of Georgia
9-6, 1-2SEC
78
at
93
Auburn
12-3, 1-1SEC
1
2
F
Georgia
38
40
78
Auburn
48
45
93
Photo by: AP
Bulldogs Challenge No. 11 Tigers in Loss, 93-78
January 12, 2019 | Men's Basketball
AUBURN, Ala. – In the Bulldogs' second Southeastern Conference road game, the Georgia men's basketball team were unable to overtake No. 11 Auburn, losing 93-78, Saturday afternoon at Auburn Arena.
From the tip, the game was fast paced with the first half going back and forth evenly until Auburn pushed it to double digits by the first horn, which was just enough to maintain for the second half. The Tigers, sporting the conference's second-highest scoring offense, improved to 12-3 overall, while picking up their first conference win to be at 1-1. The Bulldogs moved to 9-6 overall and 1-2 in SEC play with both wins on the road against ranked foes.
"Being down 10 didn't feel like being down by 10 today at all," Georgia head coach Tom Crean said. "It really didn't. We didn't do as good as a job in certain times in the game. It came down to the points off turnovers and the second chance points. When you go on the road you have to find a way to win those parts of the battle. I know it was only six or so points each way, but those are the things that add up. I didn't think we shot the ball well and we still hit 11 threes. We've gotten better this week and we had moments that we showed that today, but we had moments where we didn't. It is a process that we have to continue to learn from, but I think we can."
Four Bulldogs reached double digits in a balanced attack featuring William Jackson (16), Nicolas Claxton (15), Crump (14), and Teshaun Hightower (12). Rayshaun Hammonds led the rebounding effort with 10, his second double-digit rebounding game of the season and third all-time. On the defensive effort, Claxton piled on career-high tying six blocks to his SEC-leading season block total. Jackson also chipped in a team-high and a personal season-best five assists.
Auburn showed their strength from the start, draining back-to-back threes in the first two minutes. However, Hightower answered with a three of his own to signify the Bulldogs' were ready. The Tigers got out to a 13-4 lead, but six straight points from Jackson, Derek Ogbeide, and Hightower got Georgia back in it. The two squads went blow for blow in the first 10 minutes with Jordan Harris knocking down a transition trey for Georgia's first lead at 22-20.
Around the six-minute mark, Hammonds converted a free throw in a three-point play to keep it close at 35-33. Then with about two minutes remaining, Auburn stretched it out to double digits with a dunk. Georgia's Ignas Sargiunas snapped back with a three, but the relentless Tigers' erased that with a three to make it a 48-38 going into the break. The scoring leaders at half were Auburn's Anfernee McLemore and Claxton with 11 apiece.
A Claxton layup out of the break put the game back in single digits and a Jackson three-ball made it six. Picking up right where the first half let off, both teams then went back-and-forth. Auburn's Jared Harper nailed a three putting the lead back into double digits, 61-48, which prompted Crean to use his first second half timeout at the 15:26 mark.
Through the rest of the contest, Georgia was able to maintain pace with high-octane Tiger offense (83.9 ppg) – not letting the deficit get out of hand – but were unable to trim the margin into single digits. Georgia brought the game to a 10-point different five times.
The Bulldogs shot 45 percent from the floor, while the Tigers topped that with a shooting mark of 50 percent. Each team leaned on the three-ball as Georgia connected on 11 and Auburn one-upped the Bulldogs with 12.
Georgia returns to the hardwood next against No. 18 Kentucky Tuesday, January 15th. Tip off is schedule for 7 p.m. ET and will be aired on ESPN.
Georgia Head Coach Tom Crean
On the final nine minutes of the game…
"I never felt like we were out of it. Especially with the open looks we were getting. This is the first time all year despite the 11 3s we made. I was shocked. I didn't think we shot the ball very well considering our openings, but I felt like we were always in it and I think when [Jared] Harper got the turnover and they threw the lob that broke our back a little bit. That got the crowd back into it but when we were sitting there at 10 and 11, I always felt like we were right there and our guys did too, and in a game like this it comes down to the hustle points. They scored six more points off turnovers and seven more points off second chance and when you're playing against a team - I believe they are the number one offensive rebounding percentage team in the country - you can't have that, and they are very, very good at that. [Bruce Pearl] has done a really good job for a long time everywhere he's been because of being on the glass, and driving the ball, all those types of things, and they play very good defense especially on the ball and when they come and go for steals. When you come on the road against a team like this, you have to find a way to be above in the rebounding or even, and we were not when it came to the second chance points and I think that is indicative of the way the score was."
On Turtle Jackson's season high and his scoring…
"We shoot when we are going to be open. There were some shots that we missed late in the first half, and if they go down it's a different story at halftime. We want him to get open and shoot the ball, there's no doubt about that. I thought he could have had more because some of the four that he missed were open looks, and if we are moving the ball and getting good spacing, the ball is going to find the energy and today it found different guys. Turtle [Jackson] was one of those guys.
On Rayshaun Hammonds being under double digits and if he's seeing different defense against him…
"I don't think so. I think he's getting doubled. I think he's got to play quicker when he starts to make his drive because normal defense - they're bringing a double to the ball and that gets him a little bit - but I'm not worried about it. He's still banged up a little. I'm not worried about that with him. He's just got to keep looking for openings. If there would be one thing, he's got to rebound the ball offensively better and he's got to make a quicker move whether it's on the post or the perimeter when he has the ball, which makes it harder for somebody to come dig or double off it when he's trying to get to the basket.
On Bruce Pearl coached team characteristics…
"I've never coached against him before today. I'm not sure yet how to beat them. I have to watch the film. Seriously, we didn't beat them, so we'll go back and look at the film and play them February 27 and see if we can be smarter. One thing I would say is that you have to make the open shot you get and we didn't do enough of that today."
On trying to find an answer for Jared Harper…
"He's a very good player, there's no doubt about that. You can't drop your hands. They're going to take a lot of long 3s. They're going to dribble it, dribble it, dribble it, and pull it. You can't relax. The biggest thing that we made in mistakes was not so much the 3s, but opening up our shoulder. You know those guys are so good, when you give them a shoulder to attack, they're really good. When you open up your body a little bit, they're really good and they did that. The credit goes to Bruce [Pearl], and he's getting those guys really good."
On how different Auburn is with Anfernee McLemore…
"Oh I don't know. We prepared for them all the same way. We wanted to switch more with him and he did a good job. "
On game plan after this game and family issues…
"We'll wait and see."
Nicolas Claxton, F, So.
On thought process throughout the game…
"Throughout the game, we felt like we were so close but so far. Auburn kept a lead and we would come down and get a 3."
On Auburn's team…
"They're a talented team. They like making shots. We like giving credit to them. We missed a good amount of 3s earlier in the game, too. We'll be ready."
On game plan…
"We wanted to stop transition 3s, because that's something Auburn did a good job of. We wanted to make sure to get them off of the offensive rebounds and that's something we didn't do a great job of tonight. We need to build on that and make sure all five guys are there rebounding."
On improvement…
"I could have grabbed a few more rebounds."
On Kentucky…
"We have a big one on Tuesday. We play Kentucky at home. We'll have practice tomorrow and start preparing."
From the tip, the game was fast paced with the first half going back and forth evenly until Auburn pushed it to double digits by the first horn, which was just enough to maintain for the second half. The Tigers, sporting the conference's second-highest scoring offense, improved to 12-3 overall, while picking up their first conference win to be at 1-1. The Bulldogs moved to 9-6 overall and 1-2 in SEC play with both wins on the road against ranked foes.
"Being down 10 didn't feel like being down by 10 today at all," Georgia head coach Tom Crean said. "It really didn't. We didn't do as good as a job in certain times in the game. It came down to the points off turnovers and the second chance points. When you go on the road you have to find a way to win those parts of the battle. I know it was only six or so points each way, but those are the things that add up. I didn't think we shot the ball well and we still hit 11 threes. We've gotten better this week and we had moments that we showed that today, but we had moments where we didn't. It is a process that we have to continue to learn from, but I think we can."
Four Bulldogs reached double digits in a balanced attack featuring William Jackson (16), Nicolas Claxton (15), Crump (14), and Teshaun Hightower (12). Rayshaun Hammonds led the rebounding effort with 10, his second double-digit rebounding game of the season and third all-time. On the defensive effort, Claxton piled on career-high tying six blocks to his SEC-leading season block total. Jackson also chipped in a team-high and a personal season-best five assists.
Auburn showed their strength from the start, draining back-to-back threes in the first two minutes. However, Hightower answered with a three of his own to signify the Bulldogs' were ready. The Tigers got out to a 13-4 lead, but six straight points from Jackson, Derek Ogbeide, and Hightower got Georgia back in it. The two squads went blow for blow in the first 10 minutes with Jordan Harris knocking down a transition trey for Georgia's first lead at 22-20.
Around the six-minute mark, Hammonds converted a free throw in a three-point play to keep it close at 35-33. Then with about two minutes remaining, Auburn stretched it out to double digits with a dunk. Georgia's Ignas Sargiunas snapped back with a three, but the relentless Tigers' erased that with a three to make it a 48-38 going into the break. The scoring leaders at half were Auburn's Anfernee McLemore and Claxton with 11 apiece.
A Claxton layup out of the break put the game back in single digits and a Jackson three-ball made it six. Picking up right where the first half let off, both teams then went back-and-forth. Auburn's Jared Harper nailed a three putting the lead back into double digits, 61-48, which prompted Crean to use his first second half timeout at the 15:26 mark.
Through the rest of the contest, Georgia was able to maintain pace with high-octane Tiger offense (83.9 ppg) – not letting the deficit get out of hand – but were unable to trim the margin into single digits. Georgia brought the game to a 10-point different five times.
The Bulldogs shot 45 percent from the floor, while the Tigers topped that with a shooting mark of 50 percent. Each team leaned on the three-ball as Georgia connected on 11 and Auburn one-upped the Bulldogs with 12.
Georgia returns to the hardwood next against No. 18 Kentucky Tuesday, January 15th. Tip off is schedule for 7 p.m. ET and will be aired on ESPN.
Georgia Head Coach Tom Crean
On the final nine minutes of the game…
"I never felt like we were out of it. Especially with the open looks we were getting. This is the first time all year despite the 11 3s we made. I was shocked. I didn't think we shot the ball very well considering our openings, but I felt like we were always in it and I think when [Jared] Harper got the turnover and they threw the lob that broke our back a little bit. That got the crowd back into it but when we were sitting there at 10 and 11, I always felt like we were right there and our guys did too, and in a game like this it comes down to the hustle points. They scored six more points off turnovers and seven more points off second chance and when you're playing against a team - I believe they are the number one offensive rebounding percentage team in the country - you can't have that, and they are very, very good at that. [Bruce Pearl] has done a really good job for a long time everywhere he's been because of being on the glass, and driving the ball, all those types of things, and they play very good defense especially on the ball and when they come and go for steals. When you come on the road against a team like this, you have to find a way to be above in the rebounding or even, and we were not when it came to the second chance points and I think that is indicative of the way the score was."
On Turtle Jackson's season high and his scoring…
"We shoot when we are going to be open. There were some shots that we missed late in the first half, and if they go down it's a different story at halftime. We want him to get open and shoot the ball, there's no doubt about that. I thought he could have had more because some of the four that he missed were open looks, and if we are moving the ball and getting good spacing, the ball is going to find the energy and today it found different guys. Turtle [Jackson] was one of those guys.
On Rayshaun Hammonds being under double digits and if he's seeing different defense against him…
"I don't think so. I think he's getting doubled. I think he's got to play quicker when he starts to make his drive because normal defense - they're bringing a double to the ball and that gets him a little bit - but I'm not worried about it. He's still banged up a little. I'm not worried about that with him. He's just got to keep looking for openings. If there would be one thing, he's got to rebound the ball offensively better and he's got to make a quicker move whether it's on the post or the perimeter when he has the ball, which makes it harder for somebody to come dig or double off it when he's trying to get to the basket.
On Bruce Pearl coached team characteristics…
"I've never coached against him before today. I'm not sure yet how to beat them. I have to watch the film. Seriously, we didn't beat them, so we'll go back and look at the film and play them February 27 and see if we can be smarter. One thing I would say is that you have to make the open shot you get and we didn't do enough of that today."
On trying to find an answer for Jared Harper…
"He's a very good player, there's no doubt about that. You can't drop your hands. They're going to take a lot of long 3s. They're going to dribble it, dribble it, dribble it, and pull it. You can't relax. The biggest thing that we made in mistakes was not so much the 3s, but opening up our shoulder. You know those guys are so good, when you give them a shoulder to attack, they're really good. When you open up your body a little bit, they're really good and they did that. The credit goes to Bruce [Pearl], and he's getting those guys really good."
On how different Auburn is with Anfernee McLemore…
"Oh I don't know. We prepared for them all the same way. We wanted to switch more with him and he did a good job. "
On game plan after this game and family issues…
"We'll wait and see."
Nicolas Claxton, F, So.
On thought process throughout the game…
"Throughout the game, we felt like we were so close but so far. Auburn kept a lead and we would come down and get a 3."
On Auburn's team…
"They're a talented team. They like making shots. We like giving credit to them. We missed a good amount of 3s earlier in the game, too. We'll be ready."
On game plan…
"We wanted to stop transition 3s, because that's something Auburn did a good job of. We wanted to make sure to get them off of the offensive rebounds and that's something we didn't do a great job of tonight. We need to build on that and make sure all five guys are there rebounding."
On improvement…
"I could have grabbed a few more rebounds."
On Kentucky…
"We have a big one on Tuesday. We play Kentucky at home. We'll have practice tomorrow and start preparing."
Team Stats
UGA
AU
FG%
.448
.500
3FG%
.379
.480
FT%
.750
.765
RB
33
39
TO
16
12
STL
8
9
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
16
FGM
5
3FGM
4
FTM
2
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
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