Dec. 9, 2017
AUBURN, Ala. - Bryce Brown scored 27 points, while Jared Harper added 21 points and five assists to guide the Auburn basketball team to an 85-80 victory over UAB Saturday afternoon at Auburn Arena.
"So many guys had to step up for us to get this win," head coach Bruce Pearl said. "The key was battle of the boards. We outrebounded them. A key stat was 14 offensive rebounds for Auburn and 9 offensive rebounds for UAB. They get more than half, and they didn't get them tonight.
"It was a really good environment today. We're very pleased to head into finals where we're at right now."
Brown's 27 points were highlighted by six made 3-pointers, matching a season-best. In total, the Tigers (8-1) rattled home 11 shots from downtown, including makes from Desean Murray, Chuma Okeke and Harper.
Murray racked up 18 points and seven rebounds, while Anfernee McLemore chimed in with a team-best nine boards, five points, three steals and two blocks.
In his first start in the orange and blue, Malik Dunbar contributed nine points in addition to six rebounds, including two on the offensive glass.
Auburn outrebounded UAB (6-4), 35-31, tallying its ninth-consecutive game with more rebounds than the opponent to start the season.
The Tigers roared out to a commanding 18-4 lead on the heels of Harper, who had 13 of the team's opening 18 points.
Following a tip-in by Murray, Auburn had its biggest lead of the half at 35-20 with just over seven minutes remaining.
The Blazers closed the half on a 20-12 run to cut the deficit to seven as the Tigers took a 47-40 lead into the locker room.
Auburn opened the second half on a 6-0 run behind a 3-pointer from Brown and a 3-point play from Dunbar to make it an 11-point margin.
UAB then clawed its way back into the contest and made it a one-possession game at 67-65 with 5:45 left in the contest.
However, the Tigers would close out the non-conference clash with a few put-backs and went 10-of-12 from the charity stripe to earn an 85-80 victory.
The Blazers were led by Chris Cokley who had 26 points and nine rebounds. William Lee added seven points and a team-best 10 rebounds in the 40-minute tilt.
After playing three games in six days, Auburn will get a few days off before returning to the court next Saturday. The Tigers are set to face Middle Tennessee, Dec. 16, in a neutral-site game in Birmingham, Ala. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. CT and tickets are still available at www.AubTix.com.