National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Georgia 79, Auburn 78
When: 6:30 PM ET, Wednesday, March 1, 2017
Where: Stegeman Coliseum, Athens, Georgia
Officials: # Joe DeRosa, # Lamar Simpson, # Darron George
Attendance: 7145

Star guard J.J. Frazier scored 31 points, and Georgia got a key defensive stop on Auburn's final possession to hold off the visiting Tigers 79-78 Wednesday on Senior Night at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Ga.

Down by one, Auburn had possession with just over seven seconds to play. Freshman guard Jared Harper got a good look at a potential winning 3-pointer but misfired, and Georgia prevailed.

Sophomore forward Derek Ogbeide had 10 points and 15 rebounds for the Bulldogs (18-12, 9-8 SEC). Georgia has won three straight and five of six to stay in the hunt for an NCAA Tournament at-larger berth.

Sophomore guard Bryce Brown led six Tigers in double figures with 15 points. Freshman guard Mustapha Heron added 13 points, and Danjel Purifoy finished with 12 points for Auburn (17-13, 6-11 SEC), which has lost two straight and five of six.

Auburn got off to a quick start and led by 16 after Brown hit a 3-pointer with 7:45 left in the first half. Georgia answered with a 12-0 run capped by a Frazier 3-pointer to get within 28-24.

Purifoy converted a three-point play and Brown knocked down his third 3-pointer of the first half to help the Tigers take a 37-30 lead into halftime.

Georgia quickly erased the deficit in the second half and took the lead of five straight points from Frazier at the 13-minute mark.

The Bulldogs were without top forward Yante Maten for a third straight game, Maten, Georgia's leading scorer, is out indefinitely with a knee injury sustained Feb. 18 against Kentucky. Without his top running mate, Frazier continued to increase his scoring output. He connected on 9 of 19 field-goal attempts, including 5 of 9 3-point tries, to go along with six rebounds, five assists and three steals. Frazier also went 8 of 8 from the foul line.
Top Game Performances
 
Auburn   Georgia
Bryce Brown 15 Scoring J.J. Frazier 31
Jared Harper 6 Assists J.J. Frazier 5
Mustapha Heron 9 Rebounds Derek Ogbeide 15
Austin Wiley 4 Free Throws Made J.J. Frazier 8
Jared Harper 3 Steals J.J. Frazier 3
Austin Wiley 4 Blocks Derek Ogbeide 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Auburn 78 44.3 12-27 12-16 13 29 6 5 13
Georgia 79 42.2 10-22 15-16 9 37 4 8 11