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A spirit that is not afraid

Auburn dominates Texas A&M 85-66 to earn first road victory

"I think we were the team that had a little more effort and energy tonight, and we deserved the victory,” said Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl.

<p>Austin Wiley (50) scores during Auburn men's basketball vs. Texas A&amp;M in College Station, Texas, on Jan. 16, 2019.</p>

Austin Wiley (50) scores during Auburn men's basketball vs. Texas A&M in College Station, Texas, on Jan. 16, 2019.

There’s no place like home — sometimes.

Through a 85-66 win at Texas A&M Wednesday night, No. 14 Auburn earned its first road victory with No. 12 Kentucky on the horizon. Bryce Brown finished tied for a game-high 22 points, with 19 of his total coming as Auburn’s final points going into halftime.

"I think we were the team that had a little more effort and energy tonight, and we deserved the victory,” said Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl.

Opposite Brown’s first-half performance, Jared Harper scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half to go along with a game-high six assists. Chuma Okeke and Anfernee McLemore would add 10 and 13 points, respectively, with McLemore finishing 3-for-4 from three.

After road losses at N.C. State and Ole Miss, Pearl was content to see his team making 18 of 41 shot attempts in the first half.

“I’m a better coach when the ball goes in,” Pearl said.

With Austin Wiley pulling down a career-high 12 rebounds, Auburn would out-rebound Texas A&M 50-33 while forcing 13 first-half turnovers. Off of 20 offensive rebounds and 15 turnovers, Auburn scored a combined 38 points to hold a game-long lead.

Despite Wiley’s career night on the glass, Wiley finished with just four points on 2-for-6 shooting.

Returning home from a one-point victory over Alabama where the Aggies had three total turnovers, Texas A&M would be forced into an early deficit following five turnovers in the game's first five minutes. At the end of the first half, the Aggies would finish with more turnovers (13) than made field goals (10).

Savion Flagg and Wendell Mitchell finished tied with Brown with 22 points apiece, with the pair adding seven and six rebounds, respectively. T.J. Starks, Texas A&M’s leading scorer on the season with 14.4 points per game, was held to six points on 3-for-14 shooting.

In advance of a home meeting with Kentucky on Saturday, Pearl said that a dominant win in College Station does not necessarily provide an advantage.

"It doesn't because you take it one at a time. It's such a grind," Pearl said on ESPNU following the game. "It may give us a little more confidence going in…. [Kentucky head coach John Calipari] has them playing really well.”


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