It’s officially a banner year for Auburn men’s basketball, and confetti began falling before the game ended.
“My first thought was, ‘Act like you’ve been there before,’” said Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl. “Then I realized that it’s been a long time since we’ve been here.”
With a 79-70 win over South Carolina Saturday afternoon, the Tigers clinched a share of its first regular-season championship since 1999. Bryce Brown led in scoring with 29 points on 8-of-12 shooting from three.
Pearl said his guys were ready to “make history.”
“Winning a championship at Auburn means a lot,” he said in reference to the school’s success in other sports. “This championship means more in 2018 by how great our league is.
“We did this, and we did it together.”
Auburn began the game shooting 0-of-10 from beyond the arc prior to a make from Jared Harper. The Tigers finished the first half shooting 6-of-21(27.3 percent) from three and 8-of-29 (27.6 percent) from the field.
Pearl said that South Carolina’s zone defense created challenges for Auburn.
“I thought we rushed so much in the first half,” he said. “In the second
In contrast, South Carolina finished the half shooting 46.2 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from three. Both Frank Booker and Chris Silva led the Gamecocks in scoring with 15 and 12 points in the first half, respectively.
Silva finished with a team-high 19 points and game-high 11 rebounds after fouling out with 3:38 remaining.
Booker and Silva took advantage of size by giving South Carolina a lead via points in the paint with 24 total.
Auburn forced 24 South Carolina turnovers.
“Our inability to take care of the basketball hurt us,” South Carolina head coach Frank Martin said. “Every one of those when you play Auburn will be a basket.”
Brown’s 15 first-half points brought Auburn back to within two at halftime after trailing by as much as 14. Booker’s 3-pointer before the buzzer gave the Gamecocks the lead after Auburn took a one-point lead.
“He is such an amazing competitor,” Pearl said. “We just gave him the confidence… and it worked out great.”
Brown was Auburn’s lone double-digit scoring entering an under-eight timeout in the second half. Mustapha Heron eventually joined him, with 10 points coming from the free-throw line.
“Bryce Brown got to doing what he does,” Pearl said. “And that’s seeing it and making it.”
The junior guard said he knew that his scoring outburst was on its way despite a slow start. He praised Harper for being “the best point guard in the SEC.”
Horace Spencer added on 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting. Harper added 18 points, five rebounds
In addition, Pearl praised Chuma Okeke for his nine rebounds and three blocks with the absence of a turnover.
Auburn finished shooting 38.6 percent from the field and 35.5 percent from three.
In the second half, South Carolina shot 31.4 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from three. The Gamecocks finished shooting 37.7 percent on a 23-of-61 clip.
Auburn finishes the season with a 25-6 record, its second-best record all-time, entering the SEC Tournament next week.
Martin said he appreciated both the “incredible” Auburn crowd and atmosphere despite the loss. Auburn Arena took time to handle emotions when breaking an 18-year single-season championship drought.
The head coach said that there is no clear in-conference favorite.
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