Auburn basketball was back on the hardwood facing one of the nation’s best on Saturday, as the Tigers traveled to Waco, Texas, to face unbeaten No. 2 Baylor.
Despite efforts from Jaylin Williams and company, the Bears claimed an 84-72 victory over Auburn in this year’s Big 12/SEC Challenge.
With the loss to Gonzaga in November, the Tigers have now played the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the country.
“It’s a bit of a gauge for where we’re at,” said head coach Bruce Pearl. “We’re close, we’re improving. But we’re not where we need to be or where I want us."
Both teams opened the game cold from the floor and were a combined 0-for-5 to start before Davion Mitchell sank a three-pointer to give Baylor an early lead.
Mitchell spent one season at Auburn before transferring to Baylor after the 2017-2018 season. Since joining the Bears, Mitchell has excelled as one of the team's best guards. The 2020 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year finished the game with 13 points and a team-leading seven assists.
“I didn’t want [Mitchell] to leave,” Pearl said in a press conference earlier this week. “He has done great. He has improved and he is a much more complete offensive player.”
Meanwhile, the Auburn offense, which had scored 197 points in its previous two games, shot 11-of-32 from the field and was 3-of-16 in the first. Turnovers were an issue early for Auburn as the Tigers committed 10 turnovers in the first that Baylor turned into 11 points.
Yet even with the struggles from 3-point land and turning the ball over, the Tigers’ first-half rebounding kept them in the game.
Auburn grabbed 10 offensive boards and 17 defensive boards to out-rebound the Bears 27-19 in the first.
After Auburn took its first lead at 5-3 off an Allen Flanigan layup with an and-one, Baylor went on a 5-0 run to take a 10-5 lead.
The Tigers fought back, tying the game and even grabbing the lead a couple of times before Baylor’s Jared Butler hit two free throws with under five to go in the first. The second free throw gave the Bears a 23-22 lead and kickstarted an 8-0 Baylor run.
After Baylor's 8-0 run, the Bears never trailed again and took a 35-30 lead into halftime.
It was all Baylor in the second half. After the two teams exchanged a pair of jumpers to open the second, Baylor went on a 12-4 run pushing its lead out to 15.
“They’re a great team; we’re a young team trying to build,” said Jaylin Williams. “I feel like our energy was there; we just couldn’t get it. When they got on a run, we just kind of shut down. But we’ll get better at that.”
Williams was Auburn’s leading scorer on the afternoon, finishing with 17 points and tying Flanigan for a team-high eight rebounds.
Several Baylor scoring runs were initiated as the second half continued, and a game that was once within five for Auburn turned into a deficit as large as 21 points. The Baylor backcourt caused problems for Auburn, as Mitchell, Butler, MaCio Teague, and Adam Flagler combined for 63 points.
“We got out-played in the backcourt,” Pearl said. “And that’s okay because Butler, Teague, Mitchell and Flagler are all really good. But I think our guys are good too. That was disappointing, just from the look of the shooting percentages we had.”
With just three upperclassmen, Auburn lacked the depth and experience that Baylor had on the court and the bench. The Bears’ bench accumulated 38 points in the game and was responsible for nearly half of the second-half points with 23.
Over a third of Baylor’s second-half points came from downtown, making seven of its total 11 3-pointers in the second.
“We told the team the only chance we had to beat Baylor was to not let them beat us from the three,” Pearl said. “They can beat us in other ways, but if they got their threes, and they got 11, we can’t win. We held them to four in the first half. Let’s say we hold them to four in the second half. That’s 12 points. Lost by 12.”
Pearl’s team showed fight, closing the game out on a 19-10 run even with a large deficit. While the outcome was not what the Tigers wanted, the contest's experience will move the team forward.
“Proud of the kids for coming back,” Pearl said. “We pressed and closed the game out in the last five or six minutes.”
Auburn returns to the court on Tuesday when they host Georgia. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CST with the game airing on SEC Network.
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