AUBURN, Ala. (EETV) - Auburn lost 70-58 to No. 8 Alabama in Tuscaloosa on the Tide's senior night. This matchup was the Tigers' final road game of the 2020-21 season.
Auburn cut the game close with just over eight minutes remaining when freshmen JT Thor had a breakaway dunk, making it a five point game. But Auburn’s short-handedness without its top-two freshman players ultimately led them to defeat as they did not have enough stamina left to keep up with Alabama.
The Tigers battled to the end, especially on the defensive side. Auburn held Alabama to just 70 points after they had scored 94 points in Auburn Arena only two months prior to this game, marking a huge improvement.
“I thought our kids really competed, played hard, won the battle of the boards,” head coach Bruce Pearl said.
Auburn was without point guard Sharife Cooper for the third straight game. Jamal Johnson, a junior, performed tonight at point guard scoring 10 points and a career-high seven assists. He single-handedly closed the gap for Auburn with eight straight points which included a pair of 3s.
Jaylin Williams was the leading scorer for the night finishing with 13 points on 5 of 6 shooting. It was the 15th time this season he scored in double figures.
“I wish we would've got this dub today and then win on Saturday so we could've ended perfectly ready to go into the next season, but that's not going to happen... So we have to win this Saturday, and we're going to be prepared for Mississippi State,” Williams said.
Allen Flanigan and JT Thor added seven points apiece and helped bring Auburn’s score up.
The Tigers end their season Saturday in Auburn Arena against Mississippi State. The game is scheduled to tip off at noon CT.
