ATHENS, Ga. - Anthony Edwards scored 18 points, including a late 3-pointer to slow No. 13 Auburn's comeback attempt, and the Bulldogs beat the Tigers 65-55 on Wednesday night.
Auburn (22-4, 9-4 Southeastern Conference) suffered its second straight loss to a team with a losing record following seven straight wins. The winning streak ended with Saturday's 85-73 loss at Missouri.
Georgia led 55-50 when Edwards' 3-pointer with 2:15 remaining stretched the advantage to eight points.
J'Von McCormick led Auburn with 22 points. Samir Doughty, who had 15 points, cut Georgia's lead to 58-53 with a three-point play with 1:02 remaining. Toumani Camara sank seven of eight free throws in the final 1:01 to help protect the Bulldogs' lead.
It was a much-needed win for Georgia (13-13, 3-10), which had lost eight of nine, including four straight under second-year coach Tom Crean. The improbable win over the Tigers came before a sellout crowd.
Freshman forward Isaac Okoro missed his second straight game for Auburn with a hamstring injury. Another freshman, Allen Flanigan, again replaced Okoro in the lineup and scored three points.
Auburn was left with a three-guard lineup and appeared to miss the scoring of Okoro, who averages 13.1 points.
Edwards, who leads the nation's freshmen with his average of 19 points, scored his first basket on a fancy layup midway through the first half. Edwards followed with a long 3-pointer to give the Bulldogs a 19-12 lead. A layup by Rayshaun Hammonds stretched the lead to nine points.
With Georgia leading 21-14, Crean gave Edwards and other starters a break with 8:33 remaining, The Tigers immediately launched a 9-0 run - with all the scoring coming from McCormick.
McCormick's scoring spree gave Auburn a 23-22 advantage. The run ended on Anfernee McLemore's turnover on an offensive foul. With Edwards and other starters back on the court, the Bulldogs took advantage of the turnover to start their own 9-0 run, including seven points from Sahvir Wheeler, who had 13 points.
Hammonds also had 13 points and Camara had 12.
Louisiana-Monroe 66,
Arkansas State 52
JONESBORO, Ark. - Tyree White registered 18 points as Louisiana-Monroe defeated Arkansas State 66-52.
Michael Ertel had 17 points for Louisiana-Monroe (8-18, 4-13 Sun Belt Conference). Erie Olonade added 12 points. Langston Powell had seven rebounds.
Louisiana-Monroe scored 41 points in the first half, a season high for the team.
Marquis Eaton had 17 points for the Red Wolves (15-13, 7-10), who have lost six straight games. Antwon Jackson added eight rebounds. Caleb Fields had six assists.
The Warhawks leveled the season series against the Red Wolves with the win. Arkansas State defeated Louisiana-Monroe 62-59 on Dec. 21. Louisiana-Monroe matches up against Louisiana-Lafayette at home on Saturday. Arkansas State takes on Arkansas-Little Rock at home on Saturday.