Auburn 78, Georgia Southern 75

Auburn 78, Georgia Southern 75

Published Dec. 31, 2011 2:44 a.m. ET

Chris Denson scored 19 points - including the go-ahead 3-pointer with just over two minutes left - and Rob Chubb tied his career high with 21 as Auburn rallied from a 14-point deficit to defeat Georgia Southern 78-75 on Friday night.

The Tigers (9-3) outscored the Eagles (3-8) 31-18 in the final 10 minutes to come away with the win.

Denson's 3-pointer gave Auburn a 71-69 lead, its first since 15-14 early in the first half. He had 14 points in the second half. Denson shot 5-of-8 from the field and 10-of-12 from the free-throw line on the night. He also dished out five assists.

Varez Ward had 13 points and Kenny Gabriel added 12, including two big 3-pointers in the second half, to help Auburn pull out the win.

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Eric Ferguson had a big night for Georgia Southern, finishing with 20 points, but he was limited for much of the second half due to foul trouble and eventually fouled out. Willie Powers added 23 for the Eagles.

Ferguson raced out to 12 points in the first half as the Eagles built a 35-21 lead, but he picked up his second foul with just more than four minutes remaining before halftime and sat the rest of the half. Auburn pulled to within nine during his absence.

Josh Langford and Chubb combined for 11 early points in the second half to pull Auburn within two before Powers scored eight straight points to give the Eagles a 10-point lead with just over 10 minutes to go.

Auburn's leading scorer, Frankie Sullivan, was held to just two points, both coming from the free-throw line in the game's final minute. He played only six minutes in the first half due to foul trouble.

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