A 13-2 start was not enough for the Tigers to overcome what head coach Bruce Pearl called one of the toughest environments in college basketball.
No. 2 Auburn fell to No. 9 Duke 84-78 at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Wednesday night despite a strong start and a late comeback effort.
Auburn got off to a quick 13-2 lead as Chad Baker-Mazara made the first basket of the night – a second chance 3-pointer after a missed layup from Johni Broome. The Tigers continued to build their lead, getting off to a quick start on offense and leading by 11 just over four minutes into the game.
The Blue Devils answered Auburn’s early surge after a timeout from Duke head coach Jon Scheyer. Duke quickly cut the Tigers' lead to just one point, narrowing the gap to 16-15 with 9:45 remaining in the first half. From there, the home team dominated, closing the half with a 41-23 run to take a 43-36 advantage into the break.
Tigers’ perimeter defense has held its opponents to taking 27.9% of shots from the 3-point line, but Duke's sharp shooting proved a challenge. The Blue Devils, who average 11.1 three-pointers per game, were able to break through Auburn's defense in the first half, with freshman Isaiah Evans leading the charge. Evans made six 3-pointers in the first half, accounting for all 18 of his points, and Duke managed to take 37.9% of its field goals from behind-the-arc.
"We’re disappointed," Pearl said. “We played okay, but to beat Duke in here, you’ve got to play better than that. I give them all the credit. Our defense let us down. Duke was brilliant offensively.”
From there, Duke opened the second half with a 7-2 scoring run and built a 12-point lead – the Blue Devils’ largest of the contest. Auburn fought back, narrowing Duke’s lead to two points three times with just under eight minutes left in the game.
The Tigers were unable to pull ahead late, however, missing key field goals that would have given Auburn the edge. After a 6-0 run narrowed Duke's lead to just two points with 7:04 left, the Tigers managed only one field goal until the final 42 seconds of the game.
"We have to step it up," said freshman Tahaad Pettiford. “We have to be more aggressive on the glass, getting downhill and finishing on the break.”
Auburn had zero fast break points, and Duke racked up 16 points on fast breaks.
The Blue Devils capitalized on their efficiency, committing only four turnovers to Auburn's eight and converting them into 13 points, while Auburn managed just one point off turnovers.
Cooper Flagg led Duke with 22 points and 11 rebounds.
Despite the loss, Broome and Pettiford both posted strong performances. Broome recorded 20 points and 12 rebounds, logging his sixth consecutive double-double. Pettiford also added 20 points, including four 3-pointers, and was instrumental in the Tigers’ push late in the game.
Auburn returns to Neville Arena on Sunday, Dec. 8 to face Richmond at 11 a.m. CST. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network.
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Grace Heim is a senior from Enterprise, Alabama, majoring in Political Science. She started with The Plainsman in January of 2023.
You can follow her on X (Twitter) at @graceeheim
