Pearl: 'We weren't ready to play'

AUBURN | Every time Auburn made a run, Georgia has an answer. And it was usually a layup.

The Bulldogs scored 52 of their points in the paint in a 91-86 win over the Tigers at Auburn Arena. Auburn, which won 95-77 at Georgia three weeks ago, falls to 10-9 overall and 4-6 in the SEC.

"I know that for the first time, we weren’t ready to play," Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. "It hadn’t happened yet this year so disappointed. That’s on the coach. I’ve got to own that and I will. Georgia out-played us. We didn’t lose. They out-played us.

"But the thing I talked about after the Baylor game was, if we didn’t make a few adjustments, this was gong to continue. We didn’t make those adjustments. Georgia beat us the same way that Baylor beat us, and there’s plenty of tape on it. So our guys are going to see this for the rest of the year."

Georgia finished with 24 layups, two dunks and 13 offensive boards as AU struggled defending the perimeter. A smaller UGA lineup out-rebounded AU 40-32.

"Really very frustrating, and they were beating us with their dominant hands. We weren't locked into the scouting report, so it was very, very frustrating," Pearl said.

Jaylin Williams led Auburn with 21 points, making 9 of 14 from the floor. He added five rebounds and three blocked shots. Sharife Cooper had 19 points and nine assists, Jamal Johnson 13 points, and Allen Flanigan and Devan Cambridge 12 points apiece.

Auburn shot 48.3 percent from the floor but made just 8 of 27 3-pointers.

"When you score 86 points and shoot, you know, 48 percent, you should be able to win those games but not when you give 52 points to the opponent in the paint," Pearl said. "We didn't give it to them; they earned it. Georgia earned the victory tonight."

Auburn hosts Ole Miss Saturday at 3 p.m. CT on ESPN2.