Bulldogs are Auburn’s latest victims
ATHENS, Ga. — The Auburn men’s basketball team’s commitment to hard work provided yet another road win — even without top scorer Bryce Brown.
Jared Harper matched his career high by scoring 24 points as No. 8 Auburn showed impressive depth while beating Georgia 78-61 Saturday to protect its lead in the Southeastern Conference standings.
Auburn (22-3, 10-2) improved to 5-1 in conference road games. Mustapha Heron, who had 19 points, said the Tigers can negate another team’s homecourt advantage.
“I think just the way we play hard,” Heron said. “If you don’t come to play hard, I don’t think you’re going to beat us. I think that’s something that travels, playing hard with effort.”
Auburn leaned heavily on Harper early in the game. The sophomore from Mableton, Ga., scored 12 consecutive points for the Tigers, including backto-back 3s for a 17-9 advantage. Auburn never relinquished the lead. Harper also had a gamehigh seven assists.
Brown, the fifth-leading scorer in the SEC with an average of 16.6 points per game, was held out with a right shoulder injury incurred in the first half of the Tigers’ loss to Texas A&M on Wednesday night. Junior Malik Dunbar started instead and had seven points.
Yante Maten led Georgia (1311, 4-8) with 20 points. Juwan Parker and Rayshaun Hammonds each had 14 points. The Bulldogs have lost three straight and six of their last seven, putting more heat on coach Mark Fox.
Fox said “our defense and our rebounding have just disappeared on us” for the third straight game and then acknowledged it was his job to fix the problem.
“It all falls on the coaching staff,” Fox said. “It all falls on me. I’ll take 100 percent of the responsibility, 100, OK? It’s totally on the coaches to make sure we have a scheme ready to go.” › Florida 65,
South Carolina 41 COLUMBIA, S.C. — Chris Chiozza and Jalen Hudson each scored 12 points, and a strong defensive performance helped Florida win while continuing to solidify its postseason prospects.
The Gators (17-8, 8-4) never fell off the NCAA tournament bubble, but losing three of four games before beating LSU last week dropped them from the Top 25 and decreased their chances of winning the SEC regular-season title. After the slump-breaking win over the Tigers, Florida crushed the Gamecocks (13-12, 4-8) by dominating in the paint.
Florida’s defense blocked eight shots in the first half and contained center Chris Silva, the anchor of the Gamecocks’ offense. When South Carolina made a brief run to get back in the game, the Gators sank six of their final seven shots for a 21-point lead at halftime.
Frank Booker scored 15 to lead South Carolina, which has lost five straight. Silva scored 10 points on 4-of-12 shooting.
› Texas A&M 85,
No. 24 Kentucky 74
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — All five Texas A&M starters scored in double figures, T.J. Starks leading with 17 points, as the Aggies handed the Wildcats their third straight loss.
D.J. Hogg had 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Robert Williams added 12 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks for Texas A&M (178, 6-6). Admon Gilder (14) and Tyler Davis (12) rounded out the double-digit scoring for the Aggies.
For Kentucky (17-8, 6-6), former Hamilton Heights standout Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led with 19 points and eight assists, but the Wildcats couldn’t hang on after leading 30-26 at halftime.
› Missouri 89, Mississippi State 85, OT
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Kassius Robertson hit five 3-pointers and finished with 22 points, while Kevin Puryear scored five of his 13 points in overtime to help the Tigers earn their fourth straight victory.
Jordan Geist had 17 points, Jordan Barnett scored 15 and Jontay Porter 10 for Missouri (17-8, 7-5).
Aric Holman hit a jumper and then a 3-pointer to give Mississippi State (18-7, 6-6) an 84-79 lead midway through overtime, but the Bulldogs went 0-for-5 from the field and committed two turnovers as Missouri scored 10 of the final 11 points. After Puryear hit a 3-pointer from the left corner to give the Tigers a two-point lead with 10 seconds to play, Mississippi State’s Lamar Peters was called for an offensive foul just before he made what would have been a go-ahead 3-pointer.
Robertson — who capped the scoring with two free throws — made three foul shots to make it 79-67 with 1:37 left in regulation, but Peters made a layup and converted a three-point play before his 3-pointer with 25 seconds remaining made it 79-all and forced the extra period. Geist missed a contested 3 at the buzzer.
Peters scored 22 as all five Bulldogs starters finished in double figures — Nick Weatherspoon added 15, Holman 14, Quinndary Weatherspoon 13 and Abdul Ado 11.
› LSU 82, Ole Miss 66
BATON ROUGE, La. — Duop Reath scored 26 points as the Tigers topped the reeling Rebels.
Skylar Mays added 17 points, Aaron Epps had 11 with nine rebounds and two blocks, and Tremont Waters contributed 11 points and eight assists for LSU (14-10, 5-7).
Deandre Burnett and Bruce Stevens each scored 16, while Breein Tyree added 10 for Ole Miss (11-14, 4-8), which has lost five straight and eight of nine.
LSU shot at least 50 percent for the ninth time this season, helped in large part by Reath, who was 10-for-12 from field, made his only 3-point attempt and was 5-for-6 on free throws.
› Arkansas 72, Vanderbilt 54
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Daryl Macon scored 21 points off the bench as the Razorbacks cruised behind 9-for-17 3-point shooting, including 4-for-6 from Macon.
Jaylen Barford — also 4-for6 on 3-pointers — and Daniel Gafford each added 16 points for Arkansas (17-8, 6-6).
Vanderbilt (9-16, 3-9) shot 3-for-26 from 3-point range.