MAUI, Hawaii – Jared Harper and Bryce Brown combined for 51 points to lead No. 8 Auburn past Xavier 88-79 in overtime Monday in the opening game of the Maui Jim Maui Invitational.
"A great win for our program," Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said.
Harper scored 25 points with eight assists and six rebounds. Brown led the Tigers with 26 points, adding five assists and four rebounds.
"We rely on each other," Pearl said. "We won the game because in the overtime period, in deep foul trouble, we had some guys step up and make plays. But we don't even get in that situation without Jared and Bryce.
"They're a terrific backcourt. You can see the difference that experience makes. The difference was their outstanding play."
Harper's drive-and-dunk in OT ignited his teammates and the sizeable contingent of Auburn fans in attendance in Hawaii, putting Auburn ahead 80-77.
"That might be No. 1 right there," said Harper, ranking his dunk minutes later on the ESPN2 broadcast.
With Auburn leading 81-79, Harper drove and made another huge basket to give Auburn a two-possession lead with 1:03 remaining.
After Austin Wiley and Anfernee McLemore fouled out late in regulation, Horace Spencer delivered in overtime, making rebounds and a key steal. Spencer finished with five rebounds in 19 minutes.
"Him being one of our senior leaders," Harper said. "He's sacrificed a lot for the team. He comes off the bench. Being a senior, he probably wants to start, but he's done a lot for us, just knowing that he can impact the game."
Chuma Okeke scored 13 points and Wiley added 11.
The Tigers (4-0) will play No. 1 Duke Tuesday at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN.
Auburn led 42-31 after Okeke's steal and slam 3 minutes into the second half to cap a 9-0 run.
Xavier made 19 of 20 free throws in the second half, including a game-tying pair with 26 seconds left.
Auburn had a chance to win in regulation, but Brown's contested 15-foot jumper did not fall.
"We just know that we were going to go through adversity during this tournament every day," Harper said. "Through our ups and downs, we have to stay together as a team."
Auburn led 33-28 at the half. The Tigers used a 10-0 run to build a 12-point lead before Xavier narrowed the gap before intermission.
Brown led the Tigers with 13 in the half, while Okeke grabbed seven rebounds.
Ryan Welage scored 17 to lead five Xavier players in double figures.
By playing first, the Tigers earned a chance to scout the top-ranked Blue Devils while resting for their next game 27 hours later.
"I feel like we're more ready than anybody," said Brown, who played 42 minutes, one fewer than Harper's game-high 43. "We have an extremely deep team. I feel like, with guards and the bigs, we have a lot of depth."
Pearl credited Harper and Brown for leading the Tigers on the big stage of college basketball's elite pre-conference tournament.
"These guys are in the gym all the time," Pearl said. "They're in the gym with my assistant coaches and with their dads. They just have paid the price. They came to Auburn to train. They came to Auburn to make history. They came to Auburn when Auburn wasn't very good. It's all about the players. It's all about them, not about the coach."
Harper, Brown lead No. 8 Tigers past Xavier in overtime
