Feb. 27, 2018
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Playing its third game in seven days, the rigors of the past week caught up to No. 14 Auburn on Tuesday night. The Tigers fell behind early at Arkansas and couldn't find a way to claw their way back into it, dropping a 91-82 decision on the road.
"They were better tonight," Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said after the game. "They were much more aggressive, and we couldn't do anything defensively to disrupt them. They did whatever they wanted to do on the offensive end.
"Our kids played hard and they really battled. To be a little discombobulated and still be in the game was encouraging, and that's what I told the guys."
Mustapha Heron did his best to keep Auburn within reach as he finished with a game-high 28 points and eight rebounds. It was the second straight game the sophomore guard has scored 20 or more points and the eighth time he's done it this season. But every time the Tigers began to close the gap, Arkansas went on a mini-run to extend the lead.
Point guard Jared Harper also scored 20 points and was a perfect 11 of 11 from the free-throw line. Bryce Brown, who chipped in 12 points, was 4 of 4 from the charity stripe, and as a team, Auburn made 31 of its 34 free throws Tuesday.
However, the Tigers continued to miss the injured Anfernee McLemore, the SEC's leading shot blocker, as they had no answer inside for Arkansas freshman Daniel Gafford, who finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds and seven blocks. Auburn's other three bigs - Horace Spencer, Chuma Okeke and Desean Murray - were all in foul trouble throughout the game. Spencer, in particular, played just 12 minutes before he fouled out.
Still, even with limited minutes from the interior players, the Tigers managed to pull down 37 rebounds, including 12 offensive rebounds. Okeke led the way with 10 boards.
"I thought Chuma had another huge game," Pearl said. "His numbers might not have been nearly as good, but he plays 31 minutes and doesn't have a turnover. He gets 10 rebounds. We didn't do a very good job of getting him the ball. I've got to do a better job of getting him the ball."
The good news is that Auburn will get three days off before the team hosts South Carolina on Saturday with a chance to clinch a share of the SEC regular-season title in front of their home crowd. The Tigers are 14-1 at Auburn Arena this season.
"(Our confidence) is still high," Harper said. "It's the highest it's ever been. This is a tough conference. We've had two tough road games - at Florida on Saturday and here. These are two tough environments to play in. We're trying to get better with the same goals we've had from Day 1.
"Going into our last game against South Carolina, we just want to put ourselves in a position to win the conference. That was our goal this whole season. It's right in front of us."
Saturday's game is scheduled to tip off at 2:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
Greg Ostendorf is a Senior Writer for AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @greg_ostendorf