No. 1 Auburn escapes No. 23 Georgia with 70-68 win

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) - 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 on 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.

Georgia (14-4, 2-3) struggled with free throws, making 9 of 20 from the line.

Auburn: The Tigers earned a Top 25 win without leading scorer Broome (17.9 points per game).

Georgia: The Bulldogs suffered their first home loss of the season (11-1). The loss snapped 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.

The Tigers tallied 32 points off the bench in Broome’s absence.

Auburn hosts No. 6 Tennessee on Jan 25. Georgia visits Arkansas on Tuesday night.