In Auburn’s final tune-up game before conference play begins, the No. 12 Tigers (11-1) defeated Murray State (10-2) by a score of 71-58.
The win extends Auburn’s streak of consecutive wins to eight games, while the Racers saw their streak of seven straight wins snapped.
After being out-rebounded by 19 against Saint Louis in its last game, Auburn got 15 more rebounds than Murray State. The Racers had come into the game as the 16th rated team nationally in rebound margin.
“I’m pleased with the rebounding,” said Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl. “I’m pleased with the ways the kids responded to the coaching because it was an issue for us. It tells you that they’re listening.”
Another rarity for the Racers was the lack of scoring. Murray State came into the game averaging 86 points per game, ranking sixth nationally in scoring offense. Auburn held the Racers to 58 points, tying a season-low for Murray State.
Auburn forward Walker Kessler attributed the defensive performance to Auburn’s guard play.
“Our perimeter defense was just elite,” Kessler said. “It was like a bunch of gnats out there harassing those guards.”
Wendell Green Jr. recorded a double-double for the Tigers, scoring 13 points and getting a season-high 10 rebounds.
“Wendell Green with 10 rebounds. That’s crazy for a guard,” Pearl said.
Green’s performance came just one game after he did not record a rebound against Saint Louis.
Green also had one of the great highlights of the night, when he launched a shot from beyond half-court to beat the expiration of the shot clock.
He made the nearly 50-foot shot flawlessly, sending the sellout crowd of 9,121 into a frenzy.
“When it went in, I was shocked just like everybody else,” Green said.
His teammates, however, were not surprised.
“The bench all reacted like they all knew it was going in,” Pearl said.
Walker Kessler agreed with Pearl.
“I knew it was going in,” Kessler said.
Jabari Smith also had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. It was Smith’s third double-double of the year.
“He can make tough 2’s and he can make his own offense and that’s extremely important,” Pearl said.
For the third game in a row, Kessler led the Tigers in scoring. Kessler’s 13 points tied Green for the team lead.
The game marked the return of junior guard Allen Flanigan for the Tigers. Flanigan, who averaged 14.3 points per game last season, missed Auburn’s first 11 games while recovering from Achilles surgery.
Flanigan’s performance in his season debut impressed his coaches and teammates. Flanigan had three points, four rebounds and an assist in 12 minutes of play.
“I thought Al [Flanigan] looked like he belonged out there,” Pearl remarked.
“Seeing how healthy he is right now. It looks like he didn’t lose a step,” Green said.
The Tigers will now turn their attention to conference play. Auburn’s SEC opener will be against the undefeated LSU Tigers, who are currently ranked 17th in the AP Poll.
Tip-off for Auburn’s conference opener will be at 6 p.m. CST and will be nationally televised on ESPNU.
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Matthew is a senior from Huntsville, Alabama, majoring in journalism. He started with The Plainsman in fall 2021.
Twitter: @mattwallaceAU
