Auburn’s true freshman Isaac Okoro is 18 years old but as each challenge comes and goes, the high-flying forward continues to produce well beyond his years.
In what was mostly a slow, discombobulated offensive performance Wednesday night, Okoro provided the spark the Tigers needed to remain perfect on the season, pouring in a career-high 23 points to lead No. 5 Auburn to an 83-79 win over Vanderbilt.
“We don’t have five seniors,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. “We have six. He plays like a senior, knows how to communicate, not afraid of the moment, makes big plays.”
Okoro’s night was highlighted by an emphatic, one-handed jam over Vanderbilt’s Ejike Obinna that brought a sold-out Auburn Arena to its feet. His previous career high was 18 points in an overtime win over Furman earlier in the season.
“He’s not a freshman in our eyes,” Purifoy said. “He plays like a man, and that’s what we expect from him.”
The Powder Springs, Georgia, native finished the game 6 of 9 from the field, added 6 rebounds and was 10 of 14 from the free-throw line. He also finished through contact the entire night, capitalizing on four and-ones against the Commodores defense.
After J’Von McCormick knocked down two free throws to give Auburn an 81-79 lead with 45 seconds left, Okoro elevated above the traffic for a defensive rebound, got fouled and made a crucial free throw with 26 seconds to put the Tigers up 82-79.
“I just knew I had to be aggressive, coming out in the game and getting to the free-throw line,” Okoro said. “Getting their bigs in foul trouble, so that’s just what I decided to do… I’ve always been a physical player growing up. Going to the rim, drawing contact and getting and-ones is one of the key parts of my game.”
After Vanderbilt called a timeout, Danjel Purifoy stole the inbounds pass with 20 seconds left to clinch Auburn’s SEC home opener and improve to 14-0 on the season.
“Once I got it, I just knew the game was over then,” Purifoy said about the steal. “It was a great feeling.”
Five players scored in double figures for Auburn. Along with Okoro’s 23 points, Purifoy added 12, McCormick 10, Austin Wiley 13 and Anfernee McLemore 14. Wiley was able to secure another double-double grabbing 12 rebounds and went 9 of 10 from the free-throw strike.
Free-throw shooting, which has been a problem of late for Pearl’s squad, was the difference in the final minutes. The Tigers shot 74 percent from the line, making 28 of 38 attempts to edge Vanderbilt.
As a team the Tigers were dominant inside the paint. They outrebounded the Commodores 39-28, and finished the game with 23 second-chance points.
Auburn used a 9-0 run in the second half to extend its lead to double digits, and its lead grew as large as 14 points before Vanderbilt furiously rallied down the stretch to tie the game, 79-79, with under a minute remaining. The Commodores were led by Saban Lee, who topped all scorers with 27 points, and Aaron Nesmith, who added 18.
“I just thought that we weathered the storm,” first-year Vanderbilt coach Jerry Stackhouse said. “Whenever they did make their runs we found a way to make some stops and then our guys competed. We’ve got a lot of positives to take from tonight.”
Pearl was noticeably frustrated after the game when addressing the media, despite the 83-79 victory, noting the offense’s lack of cohesion thus far. Auburn shot 5 of 20 from beyond the arc, and made only 1 of 9 attempts in the second half.
“We hung in there, didn’t panic and made enough plays to finish the job,” Pearl said. “We can get better. We will. We’re a good team. Still not very good.”
Ranked in the Top 5 for the first time since 2000, Auburn has now won 26 of its last 27 games, including 11 straight over conference opponents. The Tigers, who are now 2-0 in SEC play on the season, host Georgia Saturday.
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