Late UGA free throws, poor shooting doom Tigers

Auburn’s blueprint for victory has been the same throughout the Southeastern Conference basketball season.

The Tigers have to make 3-pointers. It’s the only option available to an undersized lineup that is unable to compete inside against massive SEC big men.

Wednesday against Georgia, AU showed the downside of that strategy: When the shots don’t fall, things can get ugly.

It was certainly ugly Wednesday in Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum, as the Bulldogs claimed a 59-54 victory amid a flurry of missed Auburn 3-pointers. It was Georgia’s first win in Beard-Eaves since 1994.

Auburn (14-14, 4-11 SEC) was just 6-for-31 on 3-pointers, including a few embarrassing air balls. The Tigers never seemed comfortable against Georgia’s 2-3 zone.

“It’s very simple,” AU head coach Jeff Lebo said. “Our way to win is we’ve got to make the 3. We didn’t do that tonight.”

Though Auburn misfired on a whopping 25 3-pointers, the game came down to a single miss.

Georgia’s Billy Humphrey hit two free throws with 13 seconds left to give the Bulldogs a 57-54 lead. AU raced downcourt for a potential game-tying 3.

The ball eventually reached the hands of senior Quan Prowell. Prowell’s shot actually went into the basket and bounced out, into the hands of Georgia guard Sundiata Gaines.

Gaines was fouled and missed both free throws. But the 6-foot-1 senior made the biggest play of the night after his second miss, snatching the rebound from Prowell’s hands.

Another Auburn foul led to two free throws from UGA’s Billy Humphrey with less than a second on the clock. Humphrey made both shots, extending the Georgia lead to 59-54.

Prowell, playing the final game of his career in Beard-Eaves, couldn’t hide his disappointment.

“We just wanted to go out with a win,” he said. “Going out like this isn’t what I planned.”

Georgia (13-15, 4-11) opened the game in a man-to-man defense. Auburn raced to a 21-10 lead before the Bulldogs switched to a zone, alternating between a 1-3-1 and 2-3 look.

The shifting zones didn’t prevent Auburn from getting open looks. But the Tigers couldn’t find a way to knock down shots.

The parade of misses included a pair of agonizing air balls in the final two minutes. Both shots — 3-pointers by Quantez Robertson and Rasheem Barrett — could have tied the game at 55.

“A miss is a miss, but we missed them badly,” Lebo said.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s size advantage took a toll on the boards. UGA had 38 rebounds — including 13 offensive boards — and scored 8 points on layups in the final 10 minutes.

Forward Albert Jackson had a career-high 16 points to lead Georgia.

Tolbert (12 points) and Prowell (11 points) led the way for Auburn on Senior Night.

Auburn plays at Arkansas on Saturday in the regular-season finale for both teams.

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