TAMPA – Three players scored 15 or more points for Auburn on Friday, but the Tigers' comeback bid came up short against Texas A&M as the regular season champs dropped a 67-62 decision to the Aggies in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament.
"We didn't have a great execution of our game plan," Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. "We had two or three guys plays really well, and you just need more than that. We're a team that plays better when everybody contributes."
Auburn didn't go down without a fight. Trailing 56-37 midway through the second half, the Tigers outscored Texas A&M, 25-11, over the final 10 minutes.
Sophomore guard Wendell Green Jr. played a major role in the comeback with four 3-pointers down the stretch. The fourth 3, Green pulled up in transition and buried it from long range to cut the lead to five with a little over two minutes left. It was easily the loudest the pro-Auburn crowd got, making Amalie Arena feel a little like Neville Arena.
Green fouled out a few moments later but finished with 15 points on 5 of 9 from deep.
Auburn's frontcourt duo of Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler continued their strong play with a combined 33 points and 18 rebounds. Smith led the Tigers with 17 points while Kessler scored 13 of his 16 points in the second half. Both pulled down nine rebounds.
Smith put Auburn on the board with a 3-pointer in the opening minute. It was the 27th straight game the freshman has knocked down at least one shot from beyond the arc. It also marked 27 games this season that Smith has scored in double figures.
In the second half, Zep Jasper and Allen Flanigan each scored buckets during a key 9-0 Auburn run. Jasper finished with seven points while Flanigan had five.
Auburn shot better in the second half but still finished at a 30 percent clip (21 of 69) for the game while Texas A&M shot 44 percent (25 of 57). The Tigers really struggled from deep in the first half, making just 3 of 20 on 3-pointers.
Texas A&M's Tyrece Radford led all scorers with 19 points.
"We wanted to win this championship," Pearl said. "We wanted to build momentum. We got beat by a really good team. But our guys are pretty humble and pretty hungry. We still are."
With the loss, Auburn will turn its attention to the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers will find out their seed and first-round opponent during Sunday's bracket reveal.
"It's hard to win in March," Green said. "Every team in the tournament is going to be good. You've just got to be ready to play. Like Coach (Pearl) said before the game today, you've got to throw the first punch. We've just got to be ready to play.
"This is for sure going to make us more hungry. Hopefully we can take it one game at a time and go deep in the tournament."
