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A spirit that is not afraid

Auburn cruises to win over South Carolina to lock up SEC regular-season title

<p>Dylan Cardwell celebrates winning the SEC regular-season championship on March 5.&nbsp;</p>

Dylan Cardwell celebrates winning the SEC regular-season championship on March 5. 

The nets have been cut. 

In its final game of the regular season Auburn rolled over South Carolina 82-71 on Saturday in Neville Arena to clinch the regular-season SEC title.

“Our guys came to play every single night,” said head coach Bruce Pearl. “We took no team for granted. [Our players] locked in and they grinded, and I think the lessons they learned, because of their own discipline, are going to serve them well for the rest of their lives.”

Auburn started the game by going on an 8-0 run and did not look back. 

South Carolina went on a 7-0 run with five minutes in the first half to make it a two-point Auburn lead, the closest margin of the contest since Auburn went up 3-0, but Auburn answered back and went on a 9-0 scoring stretch of its own and maintained its lead throughout the entirety of the game.

It was one of the Tigers’ best shooting performances of the season, shooting 41% from the floor and splashing 10 3-pointers. The defense often converted into offense for the Tigers, as they swiped 16 turnovers and converted them into 20 points.

“We’re going to defend every night, and we’re going to guard, so hitting threes and making shots like that is just going to make the game a lot easier for us,” said Jabari Smith. 

The Auburn bench showed its depth once again with 19 points compared to nine from South Carolina. 

Dylan Cardwell scored six points and Jaylin William knocked down a three in addition to Wendell Green Jr’s 10. 

Green finished with a team-leading seven assists and two rebounds.

“[Bench production] won’t help us in the first round of the SEC or NCAA tournament, but it’ll help us if we advance,” Pearl said. “That’s where the bench comes into play. The second night and the third night. The hardest one is going to be the first, no matter who we line up with.” 

Smith had another strong showing, leading the team with 21 points and shooting a perfect 3-for-3 from 3-point range. He added six rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal, while going 8-for-8 from the free-throw line. 

K.D. Johnson also got himself some momentum going into the postseason. Johnson racked up 18 points, three rebounds, two steals and an assist in his team-leading 31 minutes.

K.D. Johnson goes for a contested layup against South Carolina on March 5. 

Auburn added two more double-digit scorers in Walker Kessler and Green. 

Kessler recorded 11 points and six rebounds. The nation’s block leader also added two more blocks to finish his season with 140. 

Pearl said that he was “very proud” of his point guard play on Saturday. 

Zep Jasper and Green only turned the ball over once combined, while collectively recording 10 assists and 17 points. 

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The Tigers took a 48-31 lead to halftime, led by Smith, who had 15 points and five rebounds. The team shot 6-for-14 on 3-pointers in the opening half, including a perfect two-of-two from Smith.

Fighting back once again, the Gamecocks made it a seven-point deficit with just over a minute remaining, but Auburn’s defense finished the job, only allowing one point from that moment on.

Johnson was the story of the second half for the Tigers. He scored 14 of the team’s 34 points after only scoring four points in the first half.

“I think I missed two or three in the first half, so to see myself hit some shots kind of got me going,” Johnson said.

The victory helped Auburn remain a perfect 16-0 at home this season and in the hunt for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. It wraps up the season with two straight wins and sets the table for a run in the SEC tournament and the ensuing NCAA tournament.

“Now it’s postseason, and it’s also March, and the stakes are higher and the reward is even greater,” Pearl said. “Can we get hot? That’s the deal. Our defense will carry us, but to win another championship we’re going to have to pick it up offensively.”

On senior night, senior guards Preston Cook and Chase Maasdorp finished things out by dribbling the ball down the floor and running out the last 30 seconds of the regular season before starting the confetti-filled team celebration at midcourt.

“Chase (Maasthorp) and Preston (Cook) helped us a lot in practice,” Smith said. “They’re really encouraging, and they really want to see us win, so it was good seeing them be out there and hoop.”

With the loss, South Carolina ends the regular season 18-12 overall and 9-9 in the league. Jermaine Couisnard led the Gamecocks with 22 points while James Reese V put up 18.

Just like in the game, Auburn never trailed in the conference race this season. The Tigers finish their season 27-4 and 15-3 in SEC play with sole possession of the SEC title. They will get a six-day break before playing in the SEC tournament next Friday in Tampa as the No. 1 seed.

“Here’s the deal: we’re happy. I’ll be happy tomorrow, and I’ll be happy in a month about this championship,” said Pearl. “It doesn’t mean any more to me right now, but it’s historic.” 


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