No. 1 Auburn Survives vs. Georgia on Green’s Game-Winning Layup

Wendell Green Jr. went coast-to-coast with less than five seconds left to keep the Tigers undefeated in conference play.

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Wendell Green Jr. made a tiebreaking layup with four seconds remaining and No. 1 Auburn got past Georgia 74–72 Saturday, extending the nation’s longest winning streak to 19 games.

Auburn (22–1, 10–0 Southeastern Conference) continued its dominant run through the league. But the Tigers, who won their first nine SEC games by about 12 points per game, were tested in the second half by last-place Georgia (6–17, 1–9).

Following Green’s go-ahead layup, Georgia’s Aaron Cook missed a long jumper.

K.D. Johnson led Auburn with 20 points. Johnson, who transferred to Auburn following his 2020–21 freshman season at Georgia, was loudly booed during pregame introductions.

Green had 19 for the Tigers.

Auburn led 42–30 at halftime before Georgia recovered with 11 unanswered points early in the second half. Two free throws by Jabri Abdur-Rahim gave the Bulldogs their first lead at 58–56.

A drive by Cook gave Georgia a 72–70 lead before K.D. Johnson tied the game with a layup.

Kario Oquendo led Georgia with 25 points, including six in an 11–0 run early in the second half that trimmed Auburn’s lead to 48–47. Jaxon Etter’s 3-pointer capped the burst, and Auburn coach Bruce Pearl called a timeout.

Johnson sank a short jumper following the timeout to end the Georgia streak.

Auburn standout freshman Jabari Smith had seven points and six rebounds. Walker Kessler had 10 points with nine rebounds and four blocked shots.

Green, coming off a season-high 23 points in a 100–81 win over Alabama on Tuesday night, had 15 first-half points against Georgia. Despite playing off the bench most of the season, Green led Auburn with his average of 15 points in SEC games before Saturday.

Green threw a pass off the backboard to set up a one-handed jam by Devan Cambridge for a 27–13 lead. The dynamic basket capped a surge where the Tigers made five consecutive shots from the field at a time the Bulldogs were stuck in a 1-for-13 drought.