Auburn could not overcome a sluggish start against No. 19 Vanderbilt, dropping its third-straight game 84-76 on Tuesday in Neville Arena.
The loss dropped Auburn to 14-10 overall and 4-9 in Quad I matchups. Tuesday night marked Vanderbilt’s first win in the series since 2023 and the first win on the Plains since 2016.
Here are the biggest takeaways from the game:
Dismal first half for Auburn
There’s a common trend in many of Auburn’s losses: slow starts from the opening tip.
Vanderbilt carried a 42-31 lead into halftime after shooting 57% from the field, netting 16 shots, nine of which were assisted. Auburn – behind strong rebounding efforts and positive free-throw trips – rallied to tie it at 26 at the 6:03 mark, but a loose-ball foul on Filip Jovic was ruled a Flagrant I, igniting a 16-5 Vanderbilt run into the locker room.
The Commodores bullied Auburn down low with a 20-6 advantage and buried six triples. Auburn shot 32% (9-of-28) and committed six turnovers, more than it had in the loss to Alabama. The Tigers’ six points in the paint marked their lowest first-half total of the season.
It was Auburn’s second-lowest first-half scoring output of the season, behind its nonconference loss to Purdue (28).
Auburn chipped away, but couldn’t close the gap
Auburn fought to close the gap in the second half, but was never able to mount a big run.
Vanderbilt came out of the break with a quick 5-0 burst, but only shot a 35% clip from the field as the Tigers’ defense stepped up its play from the first half.
With Vanderbilt extending its lead to 14 with just over nine minutes remaining, Auburn cut the lead to single digits behind a 6-0 run to bring the faithful in Neville Arena to its feet. But Tyler Tanner connected on a deep three to ignite a mini 5-0 run and stretch the lead back out to double digits.
Auburn cut the lead to four with just over two minutes remaining behind a 12-2 run. Vanderbilt responded with a 9-2 run of its own, riding a comfortable lead until the buzzer sounded.
Auburn needed to win the battle in the paint
A big point of emphasis for the Tigers coming into this one was winning the battle in the paint.
After losing the battle down low 20-6 in the first half, Auburn responded by recording 28 points down low in the second half, ultimately losing the battle down low 34-32. Auburn entered this one having out-scored 14 of its 23 opponents in the paint, including 8-of-10 in SEC play.
The Tigers did not shoot as many triples as they did in the last two outings, only attempting 17 and netting seven. But Vanderbilt’s motto is to run its opponents off the line – it ranks 13th nationally in 3-point percentage defense – which made it all the more paramount for Auburn to make a living down low.
Tahaad Pettiford stays hot, but Vanderbilt’s Tanner and Jalen Washington too much
Fresh off a Neville Arena career-high 25 points against Alabama, Pettiford stayed hot with another 20-point outing as he recorded a team-high 21 on a 7-of-18 clip from the field with six makes at the charity stripe.
But Vanderbilt’s Washington recorded a career-high 22 points, netting seven of his eight attempts with a perfect mark at the charity stripe. Tanner entered this one fresh off a 37-point outing in the Commodores’ loss to Oklahoma over the weekend, which was his first career 30-point performance. On Tuesday, he led all scorers with 25, fueled by a 12-of-13 mark from the free throw line.
Tanner became the second-straight guard to score 25 points against Auburn in Neville Arena.
Auburn will hit the road for a Saturday tilt against No. 21 Arkansas. Tipoff is set for 7:30 on ESPN.
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