Once again, the No. 18 Auburn Tigers got off to a slow first-half start in Wednesday’s game against Georgia State. But a robust second-half surge led by [autotag]Jaylin Williams[/autotag] guided the Tigers to a 72-64 win at Neville Arena.
Williams was perfect in the first half, succeeding on both shots from the field and the free-throw line, and made a basket from beyond the arc on his way to scoring seven points. He would carry that momentum into the second half, by adding 13 points to his total. He was also vital to the defensive game by pulling down eight rebounds in the win. His 20-point performance is his best since he scored 21 points in a 91-86 losing effort to Georgia on Feb. 2, 2020.
Auburn’s fortunes under the basket improved in the second half also, which was vital to pulling away from the Panthers. The Tigers were able to score 42 points underneath and were able to pull down 13 rebounds.
Auburn got off to another slow start shooting the basketball, making just 22% of their shots by the under-eight timeout. Despite poor shooting from the field, Auburn was able to grab a 15-12 lead over Georgia State by connecting on 6-of-6 free throw shots.
The trend continued to grow until halftime, as Auburn would connect on just 7-of-22 shots in the first half, and trailed Georgia State, 31-28. Georgia State dominated close to the basket as well, outscoring Auburn 14-12 in the paint, and outrebounding the Tigers 18-13. [autotag]Wendell Green Jr.[/autotag] led the team in scoring with nine points through one half.
The Tigers’ offensive production improved through the first five minutes of the second half. Williams came out hot by scoring five quick points, helping his team reach 50% shooting at the under-15 timeout.
Auburn used a 10-2 run to retake the lead at the 13:18 mark in the second half. Green charged the basket and earned a three-point play to put Auburn back in front, 39-38. He would succeed on his free throw opportunity, to put Auburn ahead by two points.
Behind Williams, Green Jr. scored 17 points while [autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag] added 13 points, seven rebounds, and four blocks.
Auburn moves to 9-1 on the season, and will now set off on its west coast expedition. The first stop on the journey will be Los Angeles, California to meet the USC Trojans on Sunday. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. CT.
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