No. 1 Auburn took down No. 17 Kentucky on the road today for its first victory in Rupp Arena since 1988 to extend its win streak to six and to claim the SEC regular season title. Heading into this game, Auburn had an unimpressive record of 2-52 inside of Rupp Arena.
“I’m so happy for the kids, Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl, "We played like champions. The guys have been so locked in. The league is so good. Our guards were incredible. To win the SEC in Rupp Arena is historic, it’s significant.”
Auburn took an early 5-4 lead with 16:57 in the first half and never looked back. They would then extend the lead to 13 as the Tigers defense didn’t give up another field goal until the 13:17 mark. However, the Wildcats were not going to go down without a fight. They cut the lead to as little as six as the two teams threw blows back and forth. Finally, with 2:09 left in the first half, a Tahaad Pettiford three-pointer would extend the lead 42-32 and the Tigers would maintain a double digit lead for the rest of the game.
No. 13 Miles Kelly knocks down one of nine 3-pointers in No. 1 Auburn's win at No. 17 Kentucky inside of Rupp Arena on Saturday, March 1.
The Tigers were efficient on offense, shooting 51.8% from the field, making 12 of their 26 3-pointers and 24 of their 31 free throws. Auburn’s defense was excellent as they held Kentucky to a mere 23.5% from the perimeter and forced a whopping 18 turnovers. Additionally, Pearl’s defense held Kentucky’s star guard, Otega Oweh, to just four points, his second lowest point total of the season. Meanwhile, Auburn successfully protected the ball for the majority of the game as they only had eight turnovers while the offense consistently put points on the board.
Auburn star, Johni Broome, had an uncharacteristic nine points and six rebounds. However, that was not an issue for the Tigers as their guards picked up his slack. At the half, Auburn’s guards had out scored their opponents 44 to 34 with Auburn leading 49-34 entering the second half. Auburn’s front court had three players break double digits this game to outscore the Wildcats 94-78, with Miles Kelly, Chad Baker-Mazara, and Tahaad Pettiford combining for a total of 73 points.
Kelly had a career performance, scoring a season-high 30 points, going 10-for-17 from the field and an electric 9-for-14 from three point range. He scored back-to-back three-pointers in the first half to help the Tigers gain momentum and extend their lead.
“At shoot-around, I fell in love with the rims," Miles Kelly said. "Everything I was putting up at shoot-around was going in. I knew I would get some looks early and I knocked them down. My teammates did a great job of finding me.”
Baker-Mazara also added 22 of his own points, going 6-for-12 from the field and 9-for-10 from the free throw line. Pettiford added an additional 21 points for his fourth 20-point game of the season. The freshman also accounted for half of Auburn’s assists.
Looking forward, the Tigers seek to take on No. 12 Texas A&M on the road at Reed Arena on Tuesday, March 4. Even though Auburn has already won the outright regular season SEC championship, these two games could prove to be crucial momentum builders as Auburn heads into a loaded SEC Tournament.
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