Auburn Men's Basketball fell to No. 2 Kentucky 72-67 Saturday night at Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum.
Kentucky took charge early, going into the half with an 13 point lead.
Part of this came from the Wildcats' 16 successful foul shots during that time.
"Obviously the big difference of the game was the foul line," said Auburn head coach Jeff Lebo. "They got to the line 27 times in the first half. That's the most I think I've ever been involved with in a half."
Auburn came roaring back, however, as DeWayne Reed scored a game-high 19 points, with Frankie Sullivan adding 15.
With five minutes left to play, the teams answered each others' shots to remain within a six point margin for the remainder of the game, though Auburn never took the lead.
"Their size, you just can't simulate that," Lebo said. "They're bigger than some NBA teams. We try to simulate in practice, but you can't simulate that speed coming at you like that."
Kentucky's John Wall made two free throw shots with nine seconds to go, sealing a Wildcat victory.
Sullivan attributed Auburn's second-half surge to the Coliseum's crowd of 11,669.
"It's like an imaginary sixth man," Sullivan said. "Our fans don't support us like that all the time. I wish they would. I'm ready to play every game, but the crowd just gives you a boost like an energy drink."
Auburn will next face LSU in Baton Rouge Wednesday at 7 p.m.
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