Epic Auburn comeback falls short in 82-80 loss to Kentucky

AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn students lined up for hours in the rain, eager to witness Saturday's matchup between No. 14 Auburn and No. 12 Kentucky.  
 
The game was worth the wait, and the sellout crowd brought the energy, helping Auburn overcome a 17-point second half deficit before falling 82-80 at Auburn Arena.
 
Bryce Brown scored 28 points on 8-of-9 shooting including 6-of-7 on 3-pointers to lead the Tigers, who lost at home for the first time this season.
 
"I knew in the second half I just had to be a little more aggressive," Brown said. "Just staying positive. Every timeout I just tried to encourage my guys, me and Jared both. Just let them know that we're right there. We just tried to chip away at the lead little by little, every chance we got, and we ended up doing it."
 
Jared Harper's 3-pointer with 32 seconds remaining gave Auburn an 80-79 lead.
 
After Kentucky hit a pair of free throws to reclaim the lead, Harper's driving bank shot in the paint caromed off the rim with 7 seconds remaining.
 
"I knew when I was able to get by him that I had the angle," Harper said. "I feel like when I shot it I put it in the right place on the backboard. It just didn't go in."
 
The Wildcats rebounded, drew a foul and made the first free throw. After Auburn rebounded the missed second attempt, Samir Doughty's 40-footer for the win at the buzzer bounced off the backboard.
 
Playing without leading rebounder Austin Wiley, who is expected to be sidelined a couple weeks with a lower leg injury, the Tigers were outrebounded 33-26.
 
"We're disappointed in the outcome," Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. "It was a great environment tonight, appreciate the energy that Auburn Arena had. It had a lot to do with us staying engaged. I thought the kids didn't panic when we got down in the second half."
 
"They were down 17, and they never stopped," Kentucky coach John Calipari said. "Neither did we. We're lucky to get out of here alive."
 
Trailing by 17 early in the second half, Auburn quickly rallied.

Bryce Brown's 4-point-play ignited the crowd, cutting the Cats' lead to 48-37.
 
"Bryce Brown was phenomenal in every timeout," Pearl said. "He was the one in the timeouts who was keeping the guys positive, focused."
 
Malik Dunbar's reverse layup after Jared Harper's alley-oop completed an 8-0 run. Brown's quick 3 after a Kentucky basket trimmed the deficit to 50-42.
 
Danjel Purifoy continued the comeback with a 3-pointer. Brown hit a deep 3 from the top of the key to pull the Tigers within one possession, 66-63, before the Cats pulled back ahead by eight.
 
Brown wasn't finished. His dunk off an assist by Chuma Okeke, and another Brown 3-pointer pulled Auburn within three points once again.
 
Horace Spencer's jump hook with 1:30 to play made it a two-point game. After a Wildcat miss, Harper hit his 3 to give Auburn the lead in the final minute.
 
"Bryce was playing an unbelievable game, making shots," said Harper, who finished with 17 points and six assists. "I was doing my best trying to find him. He was hot. He was doing everything. We were going strictly off of Bryce's energy, making shots and we were able to string together a couple stops."
 
After Auburn missed 8 of its first 9 3-pointers, Malik Dunbar hit a pair of 3s to trim Kentucky's lead to 16-15. Dunbar finished with 10 points, while Okeke scored 11.
 
Samir Doughty and Harper followed with 3-pointers, giving Auburn a 25-22 lead.
 
Kentucky finished the half on a 9-0 run to take a 35-27 lead, taking advantage of four late Auburn turnovers.
 
Auburn (13-4, 2-2) plays at South Carolina Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
 
"We've got to be able to handle the physicality of the game and be able to use our quickness and our speed more," Pearl said.
 
 
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer