AUBURN, Ala. – With the shot clock expiring, Wendell Green Jr. tracked down a loose ball at Auburn's end of the court, dribbled thrice and fired a rainbow 50-footer.
Nothing but net.
"I just lined myself up," said Green, noticing only three seconds remained when he glanced at the shot clock from well beyond half court. "When it went in, I was shocked just like everyone else. It was crazy."
Behind Green's double-double, No. 12 Auburn beat Murray State 71-58 Wednesday at Auburn Arena, the Tigers' eighth straight victory.
"The bench all thought it was going in," Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said.
RANGE. 🎯
— Auburn Basketball (@AuburnMBB) December 23, 2021
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Auburn's next basket, a 3-point bank from Lior Berman, had a comparable degree of difficulty.
"Those are two devastating blows to Murray State," Pearl said.
Making his season debut after returning from Achilles surgery, Allen Flanigan scored his first points to complete an 80-second barrage that energized the sold-out crowd and gave the Tigers a 54-38 lead.
Green grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds and scored 13 points to tie Walker Kessler for the team lead. Kessler added seven rebounds and seven blocked shots.
"It was important tonight that we do a better job on the boards," Pearl said, noting how Saint Louis outrebounded the Tigers four days earlier. "It was an issue for us. It tells us that they're listening. Our defense made all the difference in the world."
"BP gives us the answers to the test," said Green, who helped Auburn outrebound Murray State (10-2) 48-33. "Rebounding was the key. Credit to the bigs for boxing out, and BP for giving me a challenge."
Jabari Smith also recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
"He can make tough 2s," Pearl said. "He can make his own offense, and that's extremely important."
The Tigers led 37-27 after the first half.
Smith's 3-pointer gave Auburn its first lead at 10-9, helping erase an early five-point Racers lead.
Six minutes into the game, Flanigan checked in for the first time to a loud ovation and promptly grabbed a rebound. The junior scored three points, grabbed four rebounds and had an assist in 12 minutes.
"I thought Al looked like he belonged out there," Pearl said. "He'll play more as he continues to progress."
"It's a blessing seeing how quickly he can come back and how healthy he is," Green said.
Kessler's 3-pointer capped an 11-0 run that put the Tigers ahead 15-9.
Kessler extended Auburn's lead to double-digits with a left-handed jump hook before Jaylin Williams' 3-pointer put the Tigers on top 31-19, Auburn's biggest advantage of the half. Williams led the Tigers in the first half with nine points in just seven minutes.
"When we go to our bench, we don't drop off," Pearl said.
The Tigers (11-1) open SEC play Dec. 29 vs. No. 17 LSU (11-0) at 6 p.m. CT on ESPNU and the Auburn Sports Network.
"We know every night is going to be a tough challenge," Green said.
"We've gotten a lot better in the month of December," Pearl said. "We've gotten a lot better but we've got a ways to go."
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer