In a closely contested matchup on Saturday night, No. 1 Auburn narrowly defeated the No. 6 Tennessee Volunteers, 53-51, at Neville Arena.
Miles Kelly hit a 3-pointer to seal the Tigers’ win with 30 seconds left to play, and Auburn ended on a 6-0 run while holding the Volunteers in a 2:07 scoring drought.
Kelly, who averages 43.4% from behind-the-arc, finished the night with two threes on four attempts.
“As soon as it hit my hands, I knew it was good,” Kelly said of his game winning 3-pointer. “Those are the moments that I live for.”
Tennessee had the chance to take back the lead in its last possession of the night, but Zakai Zeigler missed the go-ahead 3-point shot.
The Tigers benefited from the return of forward Johni Broome, who had missed the previous two games due to an ankle injury. Coming off the bench, Broome led Auburn with 16 points and 13 rebounds, going 7-for-19 from the floor. Chaney Johnson contributed 10 points and Tahaad Pettiford followed with eight points.
“It felt amazing to compete with my brothers and be back on the court with them,” Broome said. “I always want to be out there to help them win, help them grind it out. It was a rough one but we got it done.”
For the Volunteers, Zeigler led with 14 points on 4-for-15 shooting while going 6-of-6 from the free throw line. The senior guard also recorded six rebounds and five assists.
The first half set the tone for the defensive battle, with both teams struggling offensively, and Auburn held a slim 22-20 lead at halftime. The Tigers shot 21.9% from the field in the first half, while the Volunteers fared slightly better at 28%. Tennessee missed all 11 of its 3-point attempts in the opening half, while Auburn went 1-for-10 from beyond-the-arc.
“I’m sure that wasn’t a pretty game on national television because it was so difficult to score,” said Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl. “I knew it was going to be low scoring. I knew that offense was going to be difficult. But Rick Barnes, his teams play the right way. They don't take possessions off, they don't beat themselves.”
Broome opened the second half by scoring four for Auburn, and Tennessee responded with a 6-0 run to claim the lead. It was back-and-forth until the game’s final seconds from then.
Overall, Auburn shot 31% from the field, including 15% from beyond the arc, while Tennessee posted a 31.5% field goal percentage and 18.2% from 3-point range. The Tigers outrebounded the Volunteers 41-37.
The win extends Auburn's winning streak to 11 games and brings the Tigers’ record to 18-1.
“We can play better, and we still were able to beat a great team,” Pearl said. “We’ve won four of the last six games in the last possession. It’s going to be a battle every night, but we are happy with this one because that’s a great team.”
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
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
