5 observations from Georgia vs. Auburn

Auburn's Jared Harper (1) shoots against Georgia's Tyree Crump (4) and Yante Maten (1) on Saturday, Feb. 10, 2018, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Credit: John Bazemore

Credit: John Bazemore

Auburn's Jared Harper (1) shoots against Georgia's Tyree Crump (4) and Yante Maten (1) on Saturday, Feb. 10, 2018, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Whether at home or on the road, Georgia can’t seem to catch a break.

With a 78-61 loss to No. 8 Auburn on Saturday, the Bulldogs lost their third consecutive game and fell for the eighth time in their last 10 games as No. 8 Auburn controlled the tempo and the scoreboard from the opening tip.

The Bulldogs (13-11, 4-8 SEC), whose NCAA Tournament dreams are rapidly going up in smoke, allowed the Tigers (22-3, 10-2) to connect on 10 of 22 3-point attempts. Georgia’s defense was poor for the third consecutive game, and the frustration appears to be wearing on Georgia coach Mark Fox.

When asked about who shoulders the responsibility for the Bulldogs’ lagging defense, Fox said, “It all falls on the coaching staff. It all falls on me. I’ll take 100 percent of the responsibility. ... It’s on me. That’s totally on the coach to make sure that we have scheme that’s ready to go.

“Now the individual has to be emotionally and mentally ready to play, but we’ve got to find a way to push those buttons, and the responsibility falls totally on me.”

Here are five observations from the game:

So close, yet …

After trailing by as many as 10 points in the first half, Georgia whittled Auburn’s lead to 2 at 33-31 with 2:14 remaining. Three quick baskets provided Auburn with an 8-point cushion – and a whole lot of momentum – heading into halftime.

Early in the second half, Auburn went more than five minutes without a score, but Georgia didn’t capitalize like it could have, scoring six points before Malik Dunbar broke the slump with two free throws at the 13:34 mark and the Tigers up 45-39. Georgia got to within four points early in the second half, but couldn’t get any closer.

Brownout

Auburn guard Bryce Brown, who was seen before Saturday’s game in the tunnel sporting an enormous icepack, did not play after injuring his right shoulder against Wednesday against Texas A&M.

Brown has been the Tigers’ leading scorer, averaging 16.6 points per game.

Auburn didn’t seem to miss Brown as Jared Harper tallied 12 consecutive points in the first half and finished with 24 points. Mustapha Heron added 19 points, and Dunbar and Davion Mitchell tallied seven apiece.

Offensive defense

Auburn shot close to 50 percent throughout the game and finished at 51 percent (29 of 57), and Georgia held the Tigers to just below their per-game average of 84.6 points, but it was still another disappointing outing for the Bulldogs’ defense.

“We have to find a way to get back to defending at a percentage that gives us a chance to win and rebounding the ball, but we have not done that for the last three games and that’s where it starts,” Fox said.

Despite having a height advantage, the Bulldogs lost the rebounding battle 31-27, and Georgia managed but five offensive rebounds.

Return of Rayshaun

After having been basically invisible for the past three games, Georgia’s Rayshaun Hammonds provided some of the only highlights for Bulldogs fans Saturday.

The freshman from Norcross started and tallied 14 points and five rebounds in 34 minutes of play, his best game since Alabama, when he recorded 13 points.

“I feel good about my offense, but my defense has to get better,” Hammonds said. “That’s my main focus.”

In Georgia’s loss to Vanderbilt, Hammonds played four minutes and didn’t score. In the loss to Mississippi State, Hammonds again logged four minutes and no points. And in Georgia’s previous victory – a 72-60 win Jan. 30 over Florida, he had nine minutes and two points.

Yante Maten led Georgia with 20 points and five rebounds, Juwan Parker added 14 points and four rebounds and Tyree Crump came off the bench to score nine points, all from beyond the 3-point arc.

Ball insecurity

Georgia has been notorious for not taking care of the ball, and Saturday was no different, as the Bulldogs were guilty of 13 miscues, resulting in 25 points for Auburn. Georgia scored nine points off the Tigers’ nine turnovers.

Asked if turnovers were a function of carelessness or miscommunication, Parker said, “Probably a little bit of both. One guy thinks you’re doing one thing, another guy thinks you’re doing another thing, and you might be a little careless. It’s just regular turnovers, but you have to find a way to decrease them.”

“We ended up (shooting) just under 45 percent, but I thought we had some very costly turnovers that led to baskets the other way,” Fox said. “I’m disappointed in our backcourt play, and obviously it’s been a challenge to replace (J.J.) Frazier, and we haven’t found a way to effectively do that yet.”