Auburn basketball snapped its five-game skid with a win over Kentucky after a last-second putback from Elyjah Freeman gave the Tigers a 75-74 edge at the final buzzer at a raucous Neville Arena on Saturday night.
With seconds remaining on the clock and Auburn staring a one-point deficit in the eyes, Freeman corralled a missed layup attempt and converted a putback with just over one second remaining, giving the Tigers a much-needed Quad I win to boost its NCAA Tournament resume.
Here are the biggest takeaways from the game:
Tigers can’t close out the first half
Amid its five-game losing streak, Auburn has struggled out of the gate, facing early deficits in five of its last seven games.
That was not the case on Saturday.
Auburn led by as many as six points after Freeman buried a corner trey near the midway point of the first half. The Tigers then went 2-of-14 from the field, only converting on a pair of dunks since the 10:15 mark in the first stanza.
Kentucky closed the first half on a 7-0 run while Auburn did not score for the last 2:48 of the half.
Auburn was just 2-of-11 on layup attempts but used a 10-of-13 mark from the charity stripe to stay within striking distance, only facing a four-point deficit at the break.
Tigers play winning defense in the second stanza
Kentucky came out of the break with a 7-0 burst to extend its lead to nine at the 17:53 mark, where Auburn head coach Steven Pearl called a timeout.
Out of the intermission, Auburn responded with a 7-0 run of its own – after going two of its last 19 from the field.
After each team traded blows for the next five minutes of game play, Auburn went on a 10-0 run to take a four-point advantage. During the stretch, Kentucky was just two of its last 14 from the field.
After a near-40% first half performance from the field, Auburn held the Wildcats, who rank 11th nationally in second-half offense, at bay in the final 20 and forced them into 14 turnovers – entering the game, Kentucky averaged 12.2 turnovers in its losses compared to 9.4 in its wins.
KeShawn Murphy’s career night
Auburn’s top scorers did not provide their usual marks, as Keyshawn Hall tallied just 10 points and Tahaad Pettiford recorded just seven after four consecutive 20-point outings.
But Murphy, after setting a career high with 22 points one week ago against Arkansas, was Auburn’s most prolific scorer after a 25-point performance on a 9-of-13 mark from the field.
He scored 17 of his 25 points after halftime and hauled in 10 boards for his fifth double-double this season – all in league play.
Otega Oweh nearly delivers another heartbreaker
Auburn let another top-scorer record a career high.
Oweh, who set a career high in Kentucky’s last outing with 28 points, recorded his second consecutive career night with 29 points. He has recorded double digits in every game this season and has reached 30 consecutive games in double figures after pouring in 17 second-half points.
That marks five straight games where the Tigers have allowed 20-plus points to opposing guards
Auburn hits the road for a midweek matchup on Wednesday with Oklahoma at Lloyd Noble Center. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. on ESPNU.
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