With pressure defense and scoring up and down its roster, Auburn solved its decade-long hex against Florida on Tuesday.
Senior guard Bryce Brown led three Tigers in double figures with 14 points and Auburn beat the Gators 76-62 at Auburn Arena.
Junior guard Samir Doughty added 12 points for Auburn (16-6, 5-4 SEC), while sophomore forward Chuma Okeke had 11 points and eight rebounds. Auburn also outscored Florida 26-23 in bench points.
Auburn won its third straight and snapped an 11-game losing streak against the Gators, dating back to the 2009 SEC Tournament. It was just Auburn's second win against Florida in its last 23 tries.
Doughty scored 10 points in the first half, helping Auburn jump to a 36-30 halftime lead. From there, Auburn led by as many as 18 points in the second half before finishing off the Gators. Auburn won the game with defense, scoring 19 points off 17 Florida turnovers.
Senior center Kevarrius Hayes led Florida (12-10, 4-5 SEC) with 11 points before fouling out with 1:06 remaining. Freshman guard Noah Locke and senior guard KeVaughn Hayes added 10 points apiece.
Auburn burned Florida from outside early, making 6 of its first 14 3-point attempts. Okeke started a 7-0 Auburn run with a put-back layup, then Doughty followed with a 3-pointer and driving layup to put the Tigers up 30-19.
Florida shot just 20 percent (2 for 10) from 3-point range in the first half, but managed to stay in the game by closing out the half strong. After an Anfernee McLemore dunk put Auburn up 36-26, the Gators got a pair of baskets to make it 36-28 with 1:18 left. Then, following an Auburn miss, Florida held for the last shot and got a driving bank shot from Allen with a second left.
Auburn junior center Austin Wiley returned to the court after sitting out the last five games with a lower-leg injury and finished with two points and two rebounds in five minutes.
--Field Level Media
Florida | Auburn | |
Kevarrius Hayes 11 | Scoring | Bryce Brown 14 |
KeVaughn Allen 3 | Assists | Jared Harper 3 |
Keyontae Johnson 10 | Rebounds | Chuma Okeke 8 |
Kevarrius Hayes 5 | Free Throws Made | Chuma Okeke 4 |
KeVaughn Allen 1 | Steals | Samir Doughty 3 |
Deaundrae Ballard 1 | Blocks | Chuma Okeke 1 |