Wilkinson leads Georgia past Auburn in SEC-opening thriller

ATHENS — The SEC doesn’t care how you win — only whether you survive. The Georgia Bulldogs did both Saturday afternoon, escaping their league opener with a 104-100 overtime victory over the Auburn Tigers at Stegeman Coliseum.

Jeremiah Wilkinson made sure of it.

The sophomore guard poured in a season-high 31 points, seven of them in overtime, and drilled the decisive 3-pointer with 1:50 remaining in the extra session to lift No. 23 Georgia to 13-1. Wilkinson had already carried the offense early — 18 points in the first half — then steadied it when the game tipped from entertainment to endurance.

“I stay in the gym,” Wilkinson said. “Those shots at the end of the game, it feels like I’m shooting by myself. I’m just trying to get to a good shot and give the team what it needs.”

Georgia needed every bit of it after regulation ended in chaos.

The Bulldogs led 92-88 with 5.2 seconds left when Auburn produced an improbable tie: Keyshawn Hall was fouled with 0.7 seconds remaining, made two free throws, missed the third on purpose, and Kevin Overton collected the rebound and flipped in a short jumper at the horn.

Overtime arrived. Georgia didn’t flinch.

Wilkinson scored seven of the Bulldogs’ 14 overtime points, hit the go-ahead three, and watched Auburn’s last push dissolve at the free-throw line. Georgia went 13-for-16 at the stripe in the final 3:20 of regulation and overtime, the kind of composure that keeps seasons from tilting early.

“What an enormous shot going into overtime,” Georgia coach Mike White said. “The way we responded to that negativity — wow.”

Marcus “Smurf” Millender matched Wilkinson’s edge with a season-high 24 points. Blue Cain and Somto Cyril added 15 apiece, and Jordan Ross chipped in 12, marking the first time since Dec. 22 that five Bulldogs reached double figures. White singled out Cyril’s late work on defense. “I thought Somto was brilliant down the stretch,” he said.

The night unfolded with 10 ties and 11 lead changes — an SEC game in January that won’t feel early come March. Georgia topped 100 points for the seventh time this season, the most in program history, and extended its home winning streak to 12, dating back to last year.

White framed the night as confirmation, not conclusion.

“Our team is really competitive and resilient,” he said. “But the 23 offensive rebounds aren’t going to translate to a lot of wins. We can’t just bank on scoring 104 in these SEC games.”

Across the hall, Auburn coach Steven Pearl offered a sharper assessment — and a contrast.

“Horrible,” Pearl said of his team’s defense. “Our one-on-one defense is terrible. At some point, our guys have to have pride. I can’t go out there and guard for them.”

White talked about the response. Pearl talked about pride — or the lack of it.

For Georgia, the opener delivered both confidence and clarity.

“It’s an extreme confidence booster to start SEC play 1-0,” Millender said. “Not beating them in three years — that’s a blessing.”

The road gets steeper immediately. Georgia opens a two-game trip Tuesday at No. 22 Florida before heading to South Carolina next Saturday. The Bulldogs return home Jan. 14 to face Ole Miss.

“Back to work,” White said. “We’ve got 17 to go.”

In this league, 1-0 counts — and Georgia earned it the hard way.