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Auburn Basketball: Undermanned Tigers Score Big Upset Win Over Georgia

By Nicholas Ian Allen

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An undermanned Auburn basketball team travelled to Athens with long odds to score a victory. However, a gutsy performance from the Tigers overcame a nine-point second half deficit for a big 69-68 upset win over the Georgia Bulldogs. 

The Auburn Tigers had the ball with 1.8 seconds left in the game clinging to a 69-68 lead over Georgia in Athens. But an awful in bounds pass gave the ball back to the Bulldogs with a chance to steal it with a last second shot.

However, Nemanja Djurisic‘s three-pointer fell short and the Tigers celebrated a major upset victory.

Feb 14, 2015; Athens, GA, USA; Auburn Tigers guard KT Harrell (1) tries to get to the basket past Georgia Bulldogs forward Houston Kessler (24) during the first half at Stegeman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Despite a halftime lead, Auburn trailed by nine points with five minutes left. Georgia controlled the tempo and the offensive glass in the first 15 minutes of the second half and built a 57-48 lead with 5:08 left to play, but K.T. Harrell and the Tigers willed themselves all the way back.

The senior guard completed the comeback when he drilled a three-pointer with 0:59 on the clock to give the Tigers a 65-63 lead. Malcolm Canada, Antoine Mason and Harrell hit just eough free throws down the stretch to maintain the lead and win the game.

Harrell led all scorers with 21 points and K.C. Ross-Miller scored 17 in place of injured starter Tahj Shamsid-Deen.

Mason, who missed practice all week while tending to his ill father in New York, made it to Athens for the game and scored nine points and grabbed three rebounds. Mason didn’t start, but provided a nice spark of energy with his presence, and also with his scoring ability off the bench.

The Tigers controlled the first half and led for more than 18 minutes, but needed a jumper from Harrell at the buzzer to take a 29-28 lead into the locker room.

Through the first 20 minutes of the game, the Tigers struggled shooting and hit just nine of 26 shots (34.6%) from the floor and three of ten three-pointers, but did hit all eight free throws. Auburn played great defense early and held Georgia to a 7-for-23 (30.4%) performance in the first half, most often limiting the Bulldogs to just one shot.

But the second half was a different story, at least until the five-minute mark.

Auburn was 13-for-23 (56.5%) from the floor in the second half. Harrell was 5-for-6 after halftime and scored 15 points in the second half to lead the Tigers to victory.

With Shamsid-Deen out of the game and Mason questionable to play all week, Auburn also needed a strong performance from Ross-Miller and Jordon Granger to keep the Tigers in the game on the road. The pair stepped up in the first half and led the squad with nine and eight points in the first half, respectively. Granger had five of the Tigers’ 17 first half rebounds.

Ross-Miller continued his improved play, however Granger was shut out both scoring and rebounding in the second half and left the game with about six minutes left with what appeared to be cramps.

With the win, the Tigers are now 12-13 overall and 4-8 in SEC play. The Tigers have now won two road games in a row following an 0-7 start to the season.

Next up, Auburn hosts Alabama Tuesday in Auburn Arena.

Next: 2015 Auburn Football Recruiting Class Player Profiles

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