Auburn needed a signature road win and got just that today, upsetting No. 16 Florida 76-67 in the O'Connell Center.
The Tigers started off hot and never looked back, with Keyshawn Hall leading the way with 24 points, while 23 of them came in a dominant first half where Hall was unconscious. Hall also finished with seven rebounds, four assists and 3-pointers.
“That’s an unbelievable win for our ballclub,” said head coach Steven Pearl. "We’ve been here for 11 years. That might be the best road win that we’ve ever had as a program. If you look back at Auburn basketball history, that might be one of the best road wins we’ve ever had. I thought our guys, for about 32 minutes, executed the gameplan to perfection.”
Auburn basketball had not won in Gainesville, Florida, since 1996, and it could not have come at a better time as Auburn picked up a Quad 1 road win to bolster its resume for March Madness.
Auburn's defense was the true reason for this huge win, as they packed the paint and did not let up very many second-chance points, which is where the Gators thrive.
The Tigers came out of the gates ready and showing that they had something to prove going up 19-5 early. The Tigers would keep that going for the rest of the first half being up 43-28 at the break.
Florida did not let up and tied it up at 56 apiece and kept it close down the stretch, but great free-throw shooting, clutch shots and great defense down the stretch led to the Auburn win. The Tigers also led for more than 37 minutes of game time in the statement win.
“They had all the momentum in the world.” Pearl said. “Our guys responded and did a great job of taking that team’s punch. Our team did a great job of hanging in there and staying together.”
The Tigers shot an amazing 19-21 from the free throw line which proved to be the difference as Florida missed nine free throws.
KeShawn Murphy finished with 16 as the second leading scorer on the day, with Tahaad Pettiford and Kevin Overton scoring in double figures as well.
“Our team three weeks ago would not have won this game,” Pearl said. “That speaks to our growth as a team, our growth as a staff, and our kids’ willingness to stick together and lock into the details of the things we’ve been harping on every single day in practice. We’ve continuously gotten better as a group.”
Auburn being a relatively young team with only two seniors and a group of newcomers keeps getting better and better as a team as the season goes on.
It does not get much easier for Auburn after knocking off what most people think is the best team in the conference with multiple ranked opponents and tournament level teams on the way.
The Tigers are back in action at home versus Texas on Wednesday night. Tip-off is set for 6:00 p.m. CST.
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