Auburn Holds Off Late Texas Rally; Pearl Sets Program Record.
Auburn defeated Texas on the road, earning Bruce Pearl his 214th win.
Despite nearly losing a 21-point lead, the No. 2 Auburn Tigers defeated Texas 87-82 in their first league showdown since 1955 at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas.
This was head coach Bruce Pearl’s 214th win, putting him ahead of Joel Eaves as the most successful coach in program history.
Texas (11-4, 0-2 SEC) made a late drive in the second half, trimming Auburn’s (13-1, 2-0 SEC) advantage from 21 with 12:57 remaining to three with 0:11 left. A flagrant one call for a hook-and-hold on Texas’ Tre Johnson could have ended the Longhorns’ final stand, but a technical foul on Broome allowed them to fight on until the buzzer.
The Longhorns’ defense was critical in their ability to climb out of the hole they had built for themselves, as they limited Auburn to two points while scoring nine in a period in the last 1:23 of the game.
Chad Baker-Mazara scored seven points in the game’s closing ten minutes to help the Tigers fend off the Longhorns.
Johni Broome and Miles Kelly guided Auburn to win. Broome finished with 20 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, three blocks, and two steals. Kelly scored 18 points and went 4-for-6 from 3-point range. Baker-Mazara scored 16 points, while Denver Jones and Tahaad Pettiford each contributed 10.
Despite getting the job done, the Tigers had no answer for Texas forward Arthur Kaluma, who led all scorers with 34 points, setting a career high, and adding eight rebounds and two blocks.
The Tigers had one of their greatest shooting performances of the season, hitting 47.5% from the field, 38.1% from three, and 84% from the foul line. Furthermore, Auburn outscored Texas 10 to 4. Baker-Mazara, Jones, and Chaney Johnson had two each, in addition to Broome’s three.
Auburn’s next game is on the road at South Carolina on Saturday. Tipoff is scheduled for 12:00 CT, with the television broadcast carried by SEC Network.
