ATHENS, Ga. — Tahaad Pettiford hit 5 of 7 shots from 3-point range, scoring 24 off the bench to help No. 1 Auburn escape No. 23 Georgia with a 70-68 win Saturday.
Auburn (17-1, 5-0 SEC) has won 10 in a row and a second straight game without star Johni Broome, who injured his ankle in a Jan. 11 win over South Carolina.
“We just holding it down for him, waiting for him to get back,” Pettiford said of playing without Broome. “He’s a big key to this team, but we can do it without him and we’re showing it. He trusts all of us and everybody gotta trust in each other to do it.
Georgia (14-4, 2-3) struggled with free throws, making 9 of 20 from the line.
The Bulldogs suffered their first home loss of the season (11-1), snapping a 13-game winning streak at Stegeman Coliseum — the fourth-longest home winning streak in program history.
Down 70-67 with nine seconds to play in regulation, Georgia had a chance to tie the game at 70 after a Miles Kelly turnover led to Dakota Leffew getting a look from 3 with seven seconds to go. His shot was too strong. Asa Newell had a chance to tie it at the buzzer, but missed.
“I knew we had it,” Pettiford said. “I knew that the guys that were in… they wanted it all, they wanted to win. I knew they were gonna do whatever it takes to make sure they didn’t get that last bucket.”
The win improves Auburn to 6-1 against AP Top 25 opponents this season, the best record of any team. It ties its most wins against AP ranked opponents in a single season in the AP Poll era (since 1948-49), according to ESPN Research.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
