KT Harrell scored 24 points on Senior Day, but his final shot in the Auburn Arena fell well short, as the Georgia Bulldogs topped Auburn 64-61 Saturday in the regular season finale.
Georgia’s J.J. Frazier and Charles Mann hit four free throws in the final two minutes, while Auburn’s T.J. Lang and Cinmeon Bowers hit just 1-of-4 attempts from the line.
"I thought I got a little too reliant on getting KT open," coach Bruce Pearl said. "We didn't penetrate or have enough two-point baskets."
Georgia (20-10, 11-7 SEC) held a 31-28 lead at the break after a back-and-forth first half of play. Nemanja Djurisic led all scorers with 11 points while Harrell led Auburn (12-19, 4-14 SEC) with 10.
Auburn came out hot from behind the arc to start the second half, hitting five of their first seven attempts. However, the Tigers would go cold, missing their next ten attempts.
"They were all good shots," Harrell said. "They're open shots, so you have to take them. Coach tells us if you have an open shots, take them. They just weren't falling."
The Bulldogs held a significant advantage from the free throw line, knocking down 19-of-21 attempts (90 percent) while Auburn made just 10-of-18 (56 percent).
Frazier led the Bulldogs with 16 points and was 3-of-4 from behind the arc. Mann and Djurisic contributed 15 and 14 points respectively.
"We turned them over 17 times and we scored 21 points off of turnovers, so I think we bothered them with our defense," Pearl said. "But, again, they made shots, and particularly some tough two-point shots. Then they got to the line and converted."
The Tigers finish the regular season 12-19 and 4-14 in SEC play. It will be do-or-die for the Tigers in every game of the SEC Tournament, which begins Wednesday, March 11 in Nashville, Tennessee.
"The only thing I've been able to do is teach them how to compete," Pearl said. "I haven't been able to teach them to win. I've got to do a better job."
Auburn will play Mississippi State to open SEC Tournament play.
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