ATHENS, Ga. - The Auburn Tigers found a remedy for their road shooting issues Saturday night, shooting 62% from the field on their way to a convincing 97-76 win over the Georgia Bulldogs.
A new look starting five took the floor for the Tigers, and the combination of juniors Chad Baker-Mazara and Chaney Johnson proved to be an offensive spark for head coach Bruce Pearl’s squad.
Baker-Mazara made his first bucket just two seconds into the contest and never looked back. He finished with a season high 25 points and added five rebounds and four assists. He also ended a perfect 7-7 from the free throw line.
“Chad Baker-[Mazara] was the best player on the floor tonight,” Pearl said. “I trusted him with the ball in his hands as a playmaker. He makes shots. He makes free throws. He shot seven of the 16 free throws we had tonight.”
In the absence of graduate student Jaylin Williams, Baker-Mazara took his role as a starter and ran with it. He affected the game on both ends of the floor, and was the go-to guy when the Tigers needed to get something started.
“To be honest, I just realized the guy in front of me couldn’t guard me,” Baker-Mazara said. “I told coach, ‘Let’s take advantage of that.’ I’m not the type of guy – I might shoot it if I’m hot, but I’m really trying to look out for other guys. He believed in me today and put the ball in my hands, and thankfully I got to succeed.”
Georgia cut Auburn’s once 15 point lead to just three with 11:49 remaining, and while he wasn’t on the floor, Baker-Mazara was a crucial voice on the bench that helped the Tigers punch back.
“When it got close late, Chad Baker-[Mazara] once again came into the huddle on the bench,” Pearl said. “[He] rallied the troops and calmed them down. He’s passionate. He’s emotional. He is very appreciative of the opportunity here at Auburn.”
Johnson was another player who came up big in Williams’ absence, thriving in his first Division I start. He put in an efficient 16 points on 6-9 shooting, while also grabbing four rebounds. Johnson has experienced some of his most successful outings on the road, and tonight was no different.
“What a great game,” Pearl said regarding Johnson’s individual efforts. “Chaney was terrific defensively. Offensively, he was calm. He got the ball inside, and he took it close. Ira Bowman has done a terrific job with Chaney in his individual development. I'm happy for Chaney, because he’s one of the hardest workers that we’ve ever had.”
Another crucial key to the Auburn win was the ability to shoot the ball at a high clip, and no one was hotter from beyond the arc than freshman Aden Holloway. After a long cold stretch for the freshman five-star, Holloway finally clicked, connecting on five threes.
“I tell him every day, even if he goes 0-for-15, I’m like, ‘Aden, I see you make this shot every day. So keep shooting. I don’t care that you’re wide open. If you let the ball go out of your hands, I believe that you’re going to make it,’” Bakera-Mazara said. “Hopefully it keeps his confidence and he keeps going.”
Auburn responded exactly how Pearl hoped they would after the loss and the bye, but new challenges now await the Tigers. They will travel to Knoxville, Tennessee on Wednesday to take on the No. 5 Tennessee Volunteers in a game that has major SEC championship implications.
