BY NOAH GRIFFITH
FOR THE OBSERVER
AUBURN –– For the second week in a row, No. 14 Auburn men’s basketball (20-6, 9-4) came up short in its Saturday game after a blowout win earlier in the week.
Even after Auburn’s demolition of rising South Carolina on Wednesday, Auburn fell one spot in Monday’s AP Poll to No. 14 following a loss to Kentucky on Saturday — ending Auburn’s unde-feated season in Neville Arena. Auburn will sit in a tie for third place in the SEC with South Caro-lina heading into an open week before going to Georgia on Saturday.
“We need a bye,” said head coach Bruce Pearl. “I still like our team. We’ll put it together and we’ll be better for the next one. I’m so proud of them for the position they’re in. We’ll take a couple days off and see if we can regroup.”
Following are some highlights from Auburn’s pair of games last week.
Wednesday, Feb. 14:
Auburn 101 South Carolina 61
Auburn bounced back from its worst loss of the season in its previous game with its largest win, improving to 13-0 in Neville Arena and ending No. 11 South Carolina’s seven-game win streak.
Eclipsing 100 points for the third time this season against a team who entered allowing 64 points a game, Auburn recorded season highs in shooting with a 61% field goal percentage and a 60% mark on 3-pointers. The Tigers clicked on all cylinders behind another stellar showing from its star-studded frontcourt duo.
Jaylin Williams and Johni Broome both surpassed the 20-point mark for the second time this sea-son for the second consecutive week. The senior duo combined for 50 points versus Alabama the prior Wednesday, and they put up 44 in the game as both set their season highs in 3-point makes.
Behind Williams’ team-leading 23 points, the duo combined to shoot a total 16-for-26 and 9-of-12 on threes, as both big men set season highs from beyond the arc. Williams hit a season-best five threes, and Broome notched a career high with four made 3-pointers.
With Broome’s 21 points and 4-of-5 splashes on long balls, he recorded his eighth straight game with a made 3-pointer. He made a deep ball in just seven total games last season, but that marks his 13th game this season with a conversion from beyond the arc and the fourth in which he’s hit multiple.
The Gamecocks got out to a 9-4 lead and led for nearly three minutes after tip off, but once the Tigers pulled ahead, they never wavered. Auburn led 50-28 at halftime, and after a slow start to the second half, it won that period 51-33 as well.
Along with its 22 assists and hot shooting, Auburn stifled South Carolina’s offensive attack. The Gamecocks shot 35% from the floor and made just three 3-pointers while turning the ball over 13 times. Auburn scored 25 points off of turnovers, while South Carolina scored just eight on seven turnovers.
Depth once again proved to be heavily in Auburn’s favor, as the starters were backed by 39 bench points. On the other hand, South Carolina only recorded one bench point despite a 22-point, seven-rebound effort from Meechie Johnson.
Adding to Williams and Broome’s lights out offensive nights, Tre Donaldson dropped his ninth double-digit scoring game of the season with 11 points and added four to his team-leading assist total. Off the bench, Chad Baker-Mazara scored 10 on 4-for-4 shooting and three assists, and Dylan Cardwell tallied eight points and led the team with five assists.
The Gamecocks rode high into Neville Arena, rising from unranked to No. 11 in the country in the past two weeks, but it left with its biggest loss of the season after Auburn went on a 14-1 run in the final four minutes to slam the door on its largest win over a ranked opponent in program history.
Saturday, Feb. 17:
Auburn 59 – Kentucky 70
No. 22 Kentucky (18-7, 8-4) stormed into Neville Arena and scarred Auburn with its first home loss of the season.
Averaging 82.2 points a game, Auburn has scored fewer than 70 points just four times this season, and it has lost three of them. Both times it has scored fewer than 60, it has lost.
Kentucky ranks second in the SEC with 88.2 points per game, and while Auburn’s defense kept it in the game, its offense struggled to convert. The team shot a season-low 30.9% on all field goals after a season high shooting percentage last time out, and they went 4-for-22 on 3-pointers after making 12 on Wednesday.
Despite a 14-point, 11-rebound performance from Broome to give him 10 double-doubles this season, his 3-point streak ended at eight games as Auburn struggled to find any shot opportunities outside the paint. Denver Jones made three of his team’s four threes and was one of three double-digit scorers, but Auburn failed to combat Antonio Reeves’ 22 points for Kentucky.
In a game that was decided by physicality in the lane, Kentucky also only made four threes, but it outscored Auburn in the paint, 36-26. Despite a nearly even turnover battle (12 by AU, 11 by UK), Kentucky converted those miscues into 23 points in comparison to 10 by Auburn.
The Wildcats held the lead the entire game, but Auburn threatened midway through the second half. With a seven-point Kentucky lead with 10:47 to go, Williams appeared to be fouled on a missed dunk attempt. Instead, there was no call, leading to a 9-2 run from Kentucky.
Furthering the damage, Williams exited with a knee injury after the missed dunk and did not return; his night ended with just three points and no rebounds. However, it was announced that Williams’ injury is not season-ending following the MRI on Sunday, although there is currently no timetable for his return.
After suffering their first loss of a 13-1 record in Neville Arena this season and narrowly avoiding a soul-crushing injury, this week’s bye could not come at a better time for the Tigers. They will follow up an empty midweek with a trip to Georgia (14-11, 4-8) on Saturday, Feb. 24.
The game will be televised on SEC Network at 5 p.m. CST.
