Senior guard Samir Doughty hit four free throws in the final minute on his way to a team-high 23 points to lead No. 17 Auburn to a 75-66 victory over No. 13 Kentucky in a matchup of two of the top three teams in the SEC on Saturday evening in Auburn, Ala.
Doughty also came down with the final rebound of the game to seal the win as the Tigers (19-2, 6-2 SEC) moved into a tie for second in the conference with the Wildcats (16-5, 6-2) behind LSU.
Forward Isaac Okoro added 14 points, and center Austin Wiley posted his eighth double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Tigers.
After Kentucky led 35-34 at halftime, the teams swapped leads for much of the second half. The Wildcats went up 54-49 with 8:53 left but the Tigers were up by the same margin, 65-60, with 3:17 remaining.
Immanuel Quickly scored 23 points for Kentucky before fouling out in the final minute as the Tigers scored the final five points of the game. The final margin was the biggest of the game for either team.
The Tigers dominated the rebounding 42-28 with a 17-6 advantage in offensive rebounds leading to a 17-5 advantage in second-chance points. They were 33 of 44 from the free throw line but struggled from 3-point range, going 6 of 23.
Kentucky also lost starting point guard Ashton Hagans to fouls with 3:36 remaining in the game.
Foul problems hit both teams.
Hagans picked up his second personal at the 9:13 mark of the first half and played only 21 minutes, scoring five points. Wiley went to the bench with his second personal with 11:12 left in the first half, returned with 6:38 remaining and then picked up his third foul.
The teams meet again in Lexington, Ky., on Feb. 29.
--Field Level Media
Kentucky | Auburn | |
Immanuel Quickley 23 | Scoring | Samir Doughty 23 |
Ashton Hagans 3 | Assists | J'Von McCormick 4 |
Nick Richards 7 | Rebounds | Austin Wiley 10 |
Tyrese Maxey 10 | Free Throws Made | Samir Doughty 14 |
N/A | Steals | Isaac Okoro 2 |
EJ Montgomery 3 | Blocks | J'Von McCormick 1 |