AUBURN, Ala. (EETV) - The No. 1 Auburn Tigers traveled to Columbia, Missouri and defeated the Missouri Tigers, 55-54, on Tuesday night. Auburn earned their first win while ranked Associated Press No. 1 in program history and extended their win streak to 16 games.
Auburn got off to a slow start, scoring just one basket in the first six minutes and finding themselves down by 10. The Tigers came thundering back, making six of their last eight shots to end the half tied at 31 apiece.
The Tigers had their worst game offensively off the season, scoring a season-low 55 points which included only 24 in the second half. The team shot 30% from the field and 21% from beyond the arc.
“Maybe we had a letdown tonight, we’ll see. We’ll see how we respond. A team with lesser character wouldn’t have come back.” said head coach Bruce Pearl. “We had 25 offensive rebounds. You talk about guys playing with effort and energy, that’s what it’s all about.”
K.D. Johnson accounted for almost a third of Auburn’s points with 17. The guard would also add three steals and a couple of rebounds. Johnson scored the last five points for the Tigers and gave them the lead with 1:27 left in the match.
“Get the ball to K.D. Johnson and get the hell out of the way.” Pearl stated after the game “It’s not rocket science”
Walker Kessler continued his dominant run scoring 13 points and hauling in 12 rebounds, seven of which were offensive boards. This is the seventh double-double of the season for Kessler
Jabari Smith had an uncharacteristically bad night from the field. The freshman shot 2-for-15 from the field, despite his shooting performance the forward added 10 rebounds for the Tigers.
The scariest moment of the game for Auburn fans was when sophomore Wendell Green went down with 13:18 to play in the 2nd half after a hard collision driving the basket. He would return later in the match with a sleeve on his right knee. Green would record six points, three rebounds and three assists.
Auburn will be back in action on Saturday when they take on the Oklahoma Sooners as a part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge. The game will tip-off at 1 P.M. CST in Auburn Arena and will be broadcast on ESPN.
