Georgia Loses a Fight to the Finish

There were punches, pushes, screaming and whistles aplenty.

And some basketball too.

Marquis Daniels made five free throws late, including two with 3.5 seconds left, as Auburn upset No. 17 Georgia, 75-72, Saturday at Auburn, Ala., after a heated final two minutes in which two players and Georgia Coach Jim Harrick were ejected.

Harrick was still steamed at the officials after the loss that dropped his team out of first place in the Southeastern Conference’s East Division.

“With 46 seconds to go and the magnitude of the game, you just don’t kick a guy out,” Harrick said. “You manage the game. If they get mad and I get mad, then the game is exactly as it turned out.”

It turned out badly for Georgia, 18-6 overall and 7-4 in the SEC, as Auburn (11-12, 2-8) ended its longest streak in eight seasons at six.

With 2:01 left, Kyle Davis of Auburn and Georgia’s Steve Thomas were ejected for fighting in front of the Auburn bench after Adam Harrington’s three-point basket had pulled the Tigers into a tie at 60.

The melee started after Thomas hit Davis with an elbow under the basket, and the Auburn center responded with a punch to the head. Thomas appeared to also take a swing and chased Davis toward the Auburn bench, where several players scuffled and two referees fell to the floor.

Both players will be suspended one game for flagrant fighting.

After play resumed, Derrick Bird scored on a runner in the lane to give Auburn a 62-60 lead with 53 seconds left. Tempers flared again on the ensuing possession when Georgia’s Chris Daniels was whistled for a foul away from the ball after knocking Brandon Robinson to the floor.

Harrick erupted, and received a technical. He stalked referee Olandis Poole across midcourt before getting ejected by Tim Higgins.

“We got three off-the-ball fouls on our end of the floor when we had the ball, and fouls were 19 to six [Auburn] in the second half,” said Harrick, who occasionally ran afoul with Pacific 10 referees in his eight seasons at UCLA. “It seemed like we got called for something almost every possession.”

Robinson, who had 13 points, blamed Georgia’s frustrations and physical inside play for the eruptions.

“They were getting a little frustrated,” he said. “We got in their head. We came out playing hard, and they didn’t like it.”

Auburn started four freshmen and a junior college transfer as Coach Cliff Ellis shook up a struggling lineup.

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No. 1 Duke 95, Georgia Tech 63--Jason Williams scored 28 points and Mike Dunleavy had 23 at Atlanta as the Blue Devils (22-1, 10-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference) established the best start in school history. Georgia Tech (10-14, 3-8) lost for the first time in four games.

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No. 4 Oklahoma 68, Texas A&M; 64--Aaron McGhee scored 21 points at College Station, Texas, as the Sooners (19-3, 8-2 in the Big 12) defeated the Aggies (9-15, 3-7) for the 16th time in 17 games. Texas A&M; hurt itself with 61% free-throw shooting (17 for 28).

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Mississippi State 76, No. 5 Alabama 62--The Bulldogs (18-6, 5-5 in the Southeastern Conference) made 12 of 19 three-point shots at Starkville, Miss., to end a winning streak at six for the Crimson Tide (20-4, 8-2).

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No. 6 Cincinnati 103, No. 19 Wake Forest 94--Steve Logan scored 30 points and Immanuel McElroy, a senior guard, had a career-high 19 at Winston-Salem, N.C., as the Bearcats (22-2) shot a season-best 58%. Wake Forest (17-7) is 0-5 against Top 25 teams this season.

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No. 7 Kentucky 68, Louisiana State 56--Tayshaun Prince scored 18 points and blocked six shots at Baton Rouge, La., as the Wildcats (16-6, 6-4 in the Southeastern Conference) handed the Tigers (12-11, 2-8) their sixth loss in a row.

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No. 8 Florida 80, Vanderbilt 54--The Gators (18-4, 7-3 in the SEC) converted 22 turnovers into 28 points in a rout of the Commodores (14-9, 4-6) at Gainesville, Fla.

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No. 9 Gonzaga 77, San Diego 76--Sophomore center Cory Violette scored a career-high 25 points and had 15 rebounds as the Bulldogs (22-3, 9-1 in the Big West) held off the Toreros (12-11, 4-6).

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No. 18 Marquette 72, Southern Mississippi 58--At Hattiesburg, Miss., Cordell Henry scored 21 points--all in the second half--as Marquette (21-3, 10-1 in Conference USA) extended its winning streak to 10. Southern Mississippi is 7-14, 2-9.

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No. 21 Illinois 69, Purdue 67--The Illini (17-7, 6-5) overcame an 18-point deficit at Champaign, Ill., with Frank Williams scoring eight points in a 17-0 run in an eight-minute span of the second half. Joe Marshall’s three-point shot at the buzzer rimmed out for Purdue (11-14, 3-8).

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Baylor 81, No. 22 Missouri 80--Matt Sayman’s two free throws with 11 seconds left at Waco, Texas, were decisive for the Bears (14-9, 4-6 in the Big 12). Kareem Rush had 29 points for Missouri (17-7, 6-4).