Auburn entered halftime leading TCU 45-43, which seemed like a huge accomplishment for a Tigers team who had just been dismantled at South Carolina on Tuesday. Auburn finished the night with a much larger accomplishment.
Auburn used a 25-2 second-half to demolish TCU, and cruised to the finish line, defeating the Horned Frogs 88-80.
“When we stay together, we can get really good,” Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said.
Austin Wiley scored a career-high 25 points, 21 of which came in the second half. The 6-foot-11 center finished 11-of-13 from the field to go along with seven rebounds.
“The emotions were crazy,” Wiley said. “It’s a great win for the program, a great win for the team. It’s a great confidence booster.”
Mustapha Heron paced Auburn in the first half, scoring 15 of his 17 points in the first half.
The Tigers shot 54 percent (36-of-67) from the field, scoring an astounding 56 points in the paint. Auburn out-rebounded TCU 38-36. After finishing with just eight assists vs. South Carolina Tuesday, Auburn recorded 23 Saturday night.
Freshmen Jared Harper and Anfernee McLemore also finished in double digits, each scoring 13 points for Auburn. Freshmen big men Wiley and McLemore finished a combined 17-of-19 from the floor with 12 rebounds.
Senior T.J. Dunans finished with just four points, but added seven rebounds and seven assists, both of which led Auburn.
“He just played an incredible floor game,” Pearl said. “He’s the glue. He gives us the swagger and the confidence. He makes so many smart plays out there.”
After TCU grabbed a 57-55 lead with 14:59 to go, Auburn used its 25-2 run over the next 9:13 to take a 80-59 lead. The Tigers never looked back, easing its way to arguably its most impressive victory of the season.
“We prepared well for this team and we kept working,” Wiley said.
Auburn is now 3-0 against the Big 12 this season, with victories over Texas Tech, Oklahoma and TCU. None of those victories came inside Auburn Arena.
“I appreciate everyone’s patience with this team,” Pearl said. “We’re getting better.”
TCU (14-7, 3-5) was led by Alex Robinson who finished with 20 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Vlad Brodziansky finished with 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the Horned Frogs.
Auburn improved to 14-7 on the season while earning a win for the SEC in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. The victory gave Auburn its first win in four chances in the annual conference rivalry weekend.
“This is a big win for the SEC,” Pearl said. “When you put it all down on paper, and try to figure out which way it’s going to go, this is not one you that you’re going to go, “Auburn’s going to come down to Fort Worth and win this game, with this team,” and we did.”
Auburn will return home Tuesday to host Tennessee who is coming off victories over No. 4 Kentucky and Kansas State. Tip-off inside Auburn Arena is set for 8 p.m. CST, and can be seen on the SEC Network.
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