Auburn overcame a sluggish first half to pick up a much-needed road win in Nashville against Vanderbilt, 73-67.
“It’s great to get a win on the road in the league,” said Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl. “We had to fight through some adversity. I think some of it was a little self-inflicted.”
Junior guard Jamal Johnson led the way offensively in the first half, scoring 12 of the Tigers' first 19 points.
Johnson finished the game tied for a team-high 19 points and was 5-of-8 from downtown. Johnson’s performance was the fourth time this season where he has made five or more 3's.
“I came off my teammates, and my coaches put me in positions to be successful,” Johnson said. “The rim kept getting bigger and bigger, and I just kept hitting shots.”
Johnson’s big performance comes after a mini-slump that found him moved out of the starting lineup in place of Devan Cambridge.
But Pearl was glad that Johnson stayed ready for his opportunity.
“Well, I think he’s got to feel really good about his contribution,” Pearl said. “We don’t win without him. We don’t beat Vanderbilt without him, period. And so it says a lot about his mental toughness, his confidence, and playing within himself. The other thing, too, is that Jamal didn’t have a turnover. So he did what he did -- went to his strengths, stayed away from his weaknesses, played really good defense, made shots, and didn’t try to do too much.”
In the second half, freshman Sharife Cooper took over the scoring efforts. Cooper scored 18 of his 19 total points in the second half and was 10-of-11 from the free throw line. Cooper also dished out a team-high seven assists and did not commit a single turnover all game, for the first time in his college career.
“Sharife played great in the second half,” Pearl said. “He didn’t have a turnover in the game. That was just fun to watch. He’s so hard to guard, so unselfish.”
Pearl continued his praise of Cooper.
“It’s point guards -- it’s why you’ve got to have a great quarterback,” Pearl said. “Put it in their hands and, you know, let ‘em make plays. I thought there were a couple decisions Sharife made that were, you know, he threw the ball to some guys, and I’d rather have you keep it. I’d rather have you put guys in positions to not turn the ball over.”
Cooper scored 15 of Auburn’s final 24 points.
“Sharife is going to have the ball in his hands at the end of the game, so just to be able to control the ball, control the tempo and make free throws at the end of the game, a close game, that’s just a plus,” Johnson said. “He does a great job, and every game he has been back, he has done a great job in leading our team to victories and helping us grow as a team. He has done a great job, and having him has just been a blessing.”
Cambridge and Allen Flanigan both had strong second halves to help the Tigers best the Commodores. Both players finished in double-digit scoring, despite neither earning a point in the first half. Cambridge added a few late 3's to bolster the Tiger’s lead and Flanigan added four consecutive points from the free throw line late.
“These last, I think, 10 games or so, he’s been the most consistent player on our team, I feel like — him or Jaylin Williams or Sharife, one of them,” Johnson said of Cambridge. “Devan does a great job hitting shots, playing defense, energizing with the blocks. Like I said in the offseason, he was a hard worker in the offseason, and he’s proven that this year. I’m proud of him. He’s been doing a great job for us and helping us win games.”
Cooper, Cambridge and Flanigan combined for 39 points in the second half. At halftime, the score was 25-23 in favor of Vanderbilt.
After halftime, Auburn exploded for 50 points and held the Commodores to multiple scoreless runs, including a seven-minute run where Auburn scored 12 to Vanderbilt’s one.
Johnson was the only Auburn scorer in double digits at halftime, with 13 of the team’s 23 total points.
Around the glass, Auburn won the rebounding battle 43-34. Jaylin Williams pulled down 10 rebounds, Flanigan had seven and freshman JT Thor had six.
Auburn’s victory was the team’s fourth straight win in the series against Vanderbilt, which is the school’s longest streak since the Tigers won six straight from 1984-1986.
Auburn (11-10, 5-7 SEC) travels to Lexington on Saturday with a chance at a season sweep of the Kentucky Wildcats, previously beating the squad 66-59 in January.
“We didn’t execute very well,” Pearl said. “Got to play a lot better if we’re going to win again.”
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