Kessler has 19, No. 2 Auburn tops No. 12 Kentucky
Walker Kessler scored 19 points and K.D. Johnson added 17, helping No. 2 Auburn keep its hot streak alive with an 80-71 victory over No. 12 Kentucky on Saturday.
The Tigers (18-1, 7-0 Southeastern Conference) rallied from a 10-point deficit to win their 15th straight in likely the biggest home game since Auburn Arena opened in 2010. It was big enough that the traditional football school had students set up tents Friday morning, camping out to make sure they got in.
The Tigers, who have matched the highest ranking in program history, made it worth the wait. Fans chanted No. 1 in the final moments, hoping to supplant Gonzaga.
Kentucky’s No. 2 scorer, TyTy Washington, only played eight minutes and scored four points before being helped off the court with a left ankle injury. He didn’t return.
Johnson made 3 of 5 3-pointers for Auburn. Kessler hit 8 of 10 shots and had seven rebounds. Jabari Smith had 14 points and seven boards for the Tigers, who hit their first 15 free throws in the second half.
Wendell Green Jr. was scoreless for the first 28 minutes, then hit a pair of 3-pointers in a 25-second span and finished with 11 points.
Oscar Tshiebwe had 16 points, 14 rebounds and four blocked shots for Kentucky (15-4, 5-2). Kellan Grady made 4 of 7 3-pointers and scored 17 points. Sahvir Wheeler, Johnson’s former teammate at Georgia, also scored 17 points and had four assists.
The Tigers, who trailed by 10 points during the first half, took a 64-52 lead with 6:07 remaining. Johnson hit three free throws after getting fouled on a 3-point shot. NO. 6 DUKE 79, SYRACUSE 5 » AJ Griffin hit five 3-pointers — the most by a Duke player this season — as the sixthranked Blue Devils bolted to an early lead and never trailed.
Griffin was one of four players for Duke (15-3, 5-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) with 15 points, joining Paolo Banchero, Wendell Moore Jr. and Mark Williams. Banchero had 13 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season. Joey Baker added 11 points and Jeremy Roach dished out a career-high nine assists for Duke.
Jesse Edwards led Syracuse (9-10, 3-5) with 12 points and nine rebounds. Jimmy Boeheim also had 12 points.
The Blue Devils held Buddy Boeheim, the Orange’s leading scorer (19.2) to 2-of15 shooting, including 1 of 10 from behind the arc. Joe Girard, who entered the game leading the ACC in 3-point shooting at 45.5% and was tied for the conference lead with 51 made 3s, was 1 of 9 from deep as the Orange finished 5 of 29 (17.2%) from long range.
NO. 18 TEXAS TECH 78, WEST VIRGINIA 65 » Terrence Shannon scored a season-high 23 points with a go-ahead threepoint play as No. 18 Texas Tech remained undefeated in 12 games at home.
Kevin Obanor added 18 points and Bryson Williams had 13 for Texas Tech (15-4, 5-2). Taz Sherman led West Virginia with 21 points.
After West Virginia took its only lead in the second half on a 3-pointer by Sherman with 6:21 left, Shannon’s three-point play on the ensuing possession put the Red Raiders up 56-54. That layup when being fouled was part of Shannon making his last four field goal attempts, including backto-back 3-pointers that extended the margin to 65-56, and a slam dunk with 1:12 left after the last of West Virginia’s 17 turnovers.