Auburn, Ala. (EETV) No. 2 Auburn used the second half to pull away from No. 12 Kentucky in a sold-out Auburn Arena. The Tigers were down as much as 10 points in the first half, yet pulled away with a 80-71 win. With the win, Auburn moves to 18-1 on the season and 7-0 in conference play.
Allen Flanigan scored the first four points for Auburn, which was then followed by a 3-pointer from K.D. Johnson. The Tigers struggled with possession as Kentucky scored 15 points off turnovers in the first half. Dunks from Walker Kessler ended the first half and gave Auburn momentum heading into the locker room.
Kentucky's Tyty Washington entered the game as the second-leading freshman scorer in the SEC, just behind Jabari Smith. Washington saw the court for 9 minutes until going down with ankle injury that wouldn't allow him to return.
The Tigers cleaned up their turnover mistakes in the second half as the first turnover was a shot clock violation with under eight minutes remaining. They also cleaned up their offense with 56.8% from the floor, which is their best of the season. Auburn also stayed out of foul trouble, committing only 12 fouls opposed to Kentucky's 20. The foul shot discrepancy was 19 between the two.
Kessler dunked the ball seven times tonight with many assists coming from Wendell Green Jr. In his 31 minutes of play, Kessler scored 19 points, seven rebounds, and added two blocks. His final dunk was from a pass from Smith to give Auburn a 74-68 lead. Smith, who has the potential to be the No.1 pick, had 14 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks.
"They only count as 2 points, but you obviously have to execute some things to make those things happen," said head coach Bruce Pearl. "You have to have great screening, great passers, and the best guy in the country that can finish it in the air.
Two other Tigers scored in double-digits including Johnson who was 3-of-5 from behind the arc. Johnson ended the game with 17 points and four rebounds, plus a steal with 25 seconds left. Green led the bench with 11 points and five assists.
Auburn was four points shy of becoming No.1 in the last week's AP Poll. The top spot is currently held by Gonzaga, who defeated San Francisco earlier this week. The Tigers are on a 15-game win streak as they prepare for Missouri on Jan. 25. Tip-off is expected to be at 7:30 with coverage by SEC Network.
