Auburn Basketball is able to bounce back in the rematch against Georgia in a big way.
Welcome to the Jungle. Where home court advantage is a very real factor. We are now in the heat of conference play. Auburn faced their first, rematch SEC opponent of the season. After dropping a disappointing early loss in conference play to Georgia, on the road, Auburn looked to steer that record right at home and not fall victim to the season “sweep” from the Bulldogs.
Comparing half time scores of each game, Auburn went into the half at UGA down 30 to 37. This night, they went into the half up 42-24. After a slow shooting start from deep (going 0-6), (saved by strong rebounding to keep bad shooting possessions alive), Auburn started to widen the gap and keep the crowd energy strong. Georgia simply could not keep up, ultimately leading to the large halftime deficit.
The big turning factor for this game, compared to the last, was play by guard Wendell Green Jr. The first match in Athens, he went 2-12 in FG shooting, including 0-6 from 3PT, only recording 7 points in that game. In the first half alone at home he was 4-8 FG, including 2-3 3PT, recording 11 points. One constant from the trip to Athens, Johni Broome. The sophomore forward had a strong game. Broome was able to record a double double before half.
REBOUNDING
One of the few stat lines Auburn had over the Bulldogs in their first meeting (44-39) continued to be a strong suit for the Tigers. Auburn outrebounded Georgia 23-15 in the first half’ and ended the game out rebounding UGA 37-27.
SHOOTING
UGA’s shooting woes improved greatly from first to 2nd half, going 10-19 from 3PT (52.6%), but despite this needed jump in scoring for them they still lost by 21 and could not keep up with Auburn who also stayed hot shooting throughout the whole game.
Auburn had a season high in point (94) while shooting 56.3% FG, including 9-25 from 3PT (36%). Free throws continue to be a sore spot for the Tigers though. Auburn only shot 13-21 from the FT (61.9%). This will need to improve for the tough stretch coming.
PLAYERS OF NOTE
Wendell Green, KD Johnson, Johni Broome, & Allen Flanigan all recording double digit points. Broome also recorded an impressive 18 total rebounds for the night. Wendell recorded the team’s highest +/- of +18.
This game was a much needed momentum shift for the Tigers after losing two tough games in a row coming off losing what was the nation’s longest home winning streak just a week ago. Auburn goes on to face Tennessee in Knoxville this Saturday.
You can catch more conversations like these from The War Rapport on The Auburn Express Podcast, updated every weekday.