Overcoming a 13-point second half deficit, No. 13 Auburn wins late against Saint Louis 74-70.
Up 35-27 at half, Auburn was scoring comfortably and ready to take its momentum into the second half.
Saint Louis had completely different plans however, scoring 11 straight to open the final 20 minutes of play.
With just under 10 minutes left, Auburn found itself down 60-47.
The key to the Billikens' success throughout the game was rebounding. Saint Louis, which does not have a player over 6-foot-9, out-rebounded the significantly taller Tigers squad 46-27.
Auburn’s tallest player, center Walker Kessler, standing in at 7-foot-1, lost the rebounding battle on the night to 6-foot point guard Yuri Collins, who pulled down a game-high 12 boards to Kessler’s nine.
"Rebounding is an issue. I am very, very disappointed in our rebounding,” said head coach Bruce Pearl.
Over the final 10 minutes of play, Auburn switched the game around down low completely, and only allowed one score in the paint while hammering the Billiken’s defense with a Wendell Green and Walker Kessler pick-and-roll.
From the 10:42 mark, Kessler and Green connected two different times on the pick-and-roll, all good for Kessler dunks. Kessler also added two more dunks in the span.
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” Kessler said of the play.
The center noted that the Billikens were playing their center too high, allowing for Kessler to use his size and stride advantage to run clean to the rim.
Kessler recorded a season-high in scoring, due a lot in part to Green’s assisting, with 19 points. Kessler also added four blocks, one above his season average of three per game.
Kessler now leads the SEC, and is sixth in the nation, in blocks per game at 3.5.
Green finished with 15 points, connecting on three of his six 3-pointers. The junior point guard scored the game’s final two points, two free throws to ice the contest and secure Auburn its 10th win of the season.
"Wendell Green had a calmness to him that I am not going to forget. He was poised,” Pearl said. “I have got to give Wendell Green a lot of credit.”
Saint Louis had plenty of success against the Tigers, in its losing effort, that cannot be overlooked. The Billiken’s point guard Yuri Collins, who leads the nation in assist per game, was two assists shy of a triple-double before fouling out.
Collins had 13 points and the game high in rebounds, and eight assists. Pearl said Collins was “One of the best I have ever seen.”
One of the keys to Auburn beating Saint Louis in a hostile environment, was getting Saint Louis off the free-throw line. The Billikens are sixth in the nation in free throws per game at 27 and are 6-0 when shooting 79% or better from the charity stripe.
On the night, the Billikens attempted 24 free throws, sinking 16, for 66% shooting.
While it was not pretty or easy, the Tigers got the job done against in what Pearl noted was probably the team’s best win. Auburn sits at 10-1 on the season, and will come back home to face Murray State on Dec. 22.
"It was important to get tested. I had the chance to see who had the stones to finish,” Pearl said.
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Henry Zimmer is from Jacksonville, Florida, and is currently in his fifth year with The Plainsman. He is currently the Assistant Sports Editor and can be followed on Twitter here: @henryzimmer
