In Auburn’s 74-71 win over Memphis on Saturday, Allen Flanigan and Justin Powell led the way as the duo combined for 42 points.
The duo were the only two Auburn players to score double-digits against Memphis on Saturday.
Playing out of position and making his second career start, the freshman Powell continued to show what he can do as he led the way with 26 points, tying his season-high.
Powell got off to a fast start as he scored Auburn’s first 11 points. The hot start gave Powell momentum that he was able to use all game.
“That momentum carried me on through the rest of the game, and then that got everybody else going a little bit,” Powell said. “We started off well. We put up some points, J-Will found me on a couple kick-and-drives, so that really helped. I think that really solidified the tone for the rest of the game.”
Even with Powell’s fast start, Auburn went into halftime trailing 38-37 to Memphis. Auburn turned the ball over 11 times in the first half, which resulted in 13 points for Memphis.
Heading into halftime, Powell had a team-leading 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field. Not far behind Powell in scoring was Flanigan with seven points on 3-of-5 shooting in the first half.
In the second half, the story was the same for the duo as Powell dropped in 15 points, with Flanigan scoring seven again. Flanigan’s seven helped Auburn take the lead back and make sure that they left with a win.
Flanigan came up clutch for Auburn in the second half as his two-point jumper with 3:45 left in the game gave Auburn a 64-63 lead. Auburn never gave up the lead after Flanigan’s basket.
There was still 3:45 left in the game after Flanigan’s jumper, but the next eight of Auburn’s final 10 points came from Flanigan and Powell. The duo hit free throws and a Powell 3-pointer to put the game out of reach for Memphis.
“It’s a good win for us,” said head coach Bruce Pearl. “Memphis is an NCAA Tournament team. We’ve got a long way to go to become a good basketball team, but this was a good win.”
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
Jake Weese, senior in journalism with a minor in history, is The Plainsman's sports editor.
