Auburn, AL (EETV)- Texas A&M came into Auburn Arena and upset the 17th ranked Auburn Tigers for the first time this season.
It was a tough one for the senior class as they were honored before the game as the winningest senior class in Auburn program history.
Senior Samir Doughty would lead the way with 25 points and four assists. Austin Wiley scored 15 points with four blocks.
“It’s definitely tough," Doughty said,"We had expectations of winning this game. I guess they were the better team tonight. They did a good job of forcing turnovers. They played great defense. They deserved this win, but we could’ve played much better. It’s on to the next game.”
Texas A&M battled through adversity matching Auburn’s runs through both halfs. After trading runs early in the second half, the Aggies took the lead for good with 15:46 remaining and would not look back.
Aggie forward Josh Nebo led the Aggies with 19 points and Savion Flagg, Wendell Mitchell, and Jay Jay Chandler all had 14 points on the night. Texas A&M dominated the paint with 38 points scored and 31 rebounds.
Controversy struck in the second half as Auburn’s bench was hit with two technical fouls during play. Bruce Pearl would get a technical foul while protesting the call.
"The two technical fouls on our bench really changed the momentum of the game," Pearl said. "I was in my box. I didn't cuss. I was protesting the contact. I didn't think our bench needed to get hit twice. I didn't think our bench needed to get hit once."
Late in the game Auburn would narrow the Aggie lead to just two after a defensive turnover and free throws. The Tigers would get one chance to send it to overtime, but would come up short after Danjel Purifoy missed a long three-point shot.
Texas A&M is now 5-0 in Auburn Arena since they joined the SEC. They are now above .500 as a team sitting at 15-14 (9-8 SEC).
Auburn is 24-6 overall and 11-6 in the SEC. The Tigers are currently the second seed in the SEC Tournament but will still have work to do if they want to remain there. Auburn will face Tennesee in Knoxville on Saturday at 11am with TV coverage on ESPN2.
