No. 5 Auburn overwhelms Georgia 82-60 to remain perfect

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Samir Doughty had 17 points and No. 5 Auburn shot 53 percent in an 82-60 victory Saturday over Georgia to preserve the Tigers‘ perfect record.

The Tigers (15-0, 3-0 Southeastern Conference) surged with a 40-13 run after falling behind early to the Bulldogs (10-5, 0-2), a stretch that extended into the second half.

Auburn got hot and the Bulldogs, who shot 38 percent, cooled down.

Anfernee McLemore and freshman Allen Flanigan both scored 12 points for the Tigers. It was a career-high for Flanigan. Doughty added six rebounds and four assists.

Georgia star freshman Anthony Edwards struggled much of the game but still finished with 18 points, nearly his season average. He was 6-of-15 shooting and made just 4 of 11 from the free throw line.

Rayshaun Hammonds added 12 points for the Bulldogs, who were coming off a 78-69 loss to No. 14 Kentucky in a tough stretch.

The Bulldogs had an early eight-point lead swallowed up by Auburn runs of 12-2 and 17-1. The Tigers held Georgia without a field goal for the final 6:31 during the second surge, building a 35-24 halftime lead.

Christian Brown scored the final four points on free throws to cut Georgia’s deficit a bit. The Bulldogs couldn’t come closer after that.

BIG PICTURE

Georgia: The Bulldogs played their third straight ranked opponent, having beaten No. 21 Memphis and lost to the Wildcats. They shot 32 percent (8 of 25) in the first half and finished making just 17 of 33 free throws (51.5 percent).

Auburn: Has won five straight against Georgia for the first time since winning 12 in a row from 1976-80. The Tigers are off to the third-best start in program history, behind the 1998-99 (17-0) and 1958-59 (19-0) teams.

FLANIGAN’S GAME

The Auburn freshman helped spark the Tigers in the first half when he topped his previous season high of eight points.

RESCHEDULED On Friday, the game was moved up six hours in an attempt to beat storms coming into the area. The game was completed under a tornado watch.

UP NEXT

Georgia hosts Tennessee Wednesday night.

Auburn visits state rival Alabama Wednesday night.