At last, the drought is over.
Seeking its first win against Florida in its hometown since 1996, Auburn took the fight to the 16th-ranked Gators from the jump en route to a 76-67 triumph at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center on Saturday.
Auburn ended a 30-year drought and a 15-game losing streak in Gainesville with the win. Additionally, the victory marked Auburn’s third over a ranked opponent this season and first-year head coach Steven Pearl’s fifth win over a Final Four coach this season.
Here are the biggest takeaways from the game:
Electric start for Auburn
Seeking its first win at the O-Dome in 30 years, Auburn couldn’t have asked for a better start on Saturday.
The Tigers jumped out to a quick 15-5 lead at the under-16 timeout behind a 15-2 run and a perfect 5-of-5 mark from the field.
Auburn’s shooting came down to earth a bit after a perfect start from the field as the Tigers weathered a storm that saw Florida go on a 13-2 run and cut the lead to three with 10 minutes left in the first stanza. But Auburn used an overall 22-9 run to end the “2nd quarter” and take a 43-28 lead into the break.
Per the ESPN broadcast, it marked the first time Florida has been held under 30 points in the first half at home this season. It also marked the first time Auburn has held a halftime lead in Gainesville since 2014, per Matthew Wallace of the Opelika Observer.
Keyshawn Hall’s unconscious first-half showing
Fueling Auburn’s electric start was none other than Hall, the SEC’s third-leading scorer with 20.1 points per game.
A strong candidate for SEC Player of the Year, Hall tallied the Tigers’ first 10 points, scoring them all in the first four possessions.
Florida then opted to double-team the southpaw forward, and he missed a trio of jumpers with a turnover, but he found his groove to end the half. He led all scorers at the break with 22 points and finished the half 3-of-5 with a pair of free throws, finishing the first 20 minutes with a trio of threes and a perfect 5-of-5 clip from the charity stripe.
Hall was held at bay in the second half, tallying just two points on a 1-of-7 clip from the floor.
Auburn nearly collapses
The Tigers were sitting pretty with an 18-point lead after a Sebastian Williams-Adam's 3-pointer to open up the scoring in the second half.
Florida then used its second 13-2 run of the game to cut Auburn’s lead to single digits for the first time since the 7:47 mark in the first half. A 26-11 overall run out of the break from Florida – mixed in with a slew of Auburn turnovers (five) – tied things up at the 9:07 mark behind a remarkable second-half performance from Thomas Haugh.
The Gators’ leading scorer notched 12 early second-half points, but went seven-and-a-half minutes without a bucket as Auburn halted Florida’s run and clawed its way back in front.
Florida ended the night hitting just two of its last 14 attempts from the field, while Auburn was three for its last three.
Auburn does what it does best
With the foul discrepancy leaning in Florida’s favor, it was still the free throws that made a difference for Auburn on Saturday.
Ranking first nationally in free throws attempted with 28.6 per game and third nationally in free throws made with 21 per outing, Auburn cashed in on 19 of its 21 attempts from the charity stripe against the Gators.
Meanwhile, Florida missed double-digit free throw attempts (16-of-27), proving to be a difference-maker down the stretch.
Auburn will return to Neville Arena on Tuesday against Texas. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. on ESPN2.
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