NASHVILLE, Tenn. – K.D. Johnson knocked down a clutch 3 to tie the game with 11 seconds left, but Vanderbilt's Ezra Manjon responded with a last-second lay-up on the other end to lift the Commodores past Auburn 67-65 in Memorial Gymnasium on Saturday night.
"Really disappointed," head coach Bruce Pearl said. "I thought we played well enough defensively. To hold Vanderbilt six below their number at home, to hold them to 20 field goals."
"I thought Jaylin Williams and Johni Broome were terrific on the inside. Really hard to stop."
Broome and Williams carried the Tigers for most of the night. The interior duo combined for 37 of Auburn's 65 points and shot a combined 16-of-27 from the field.
Broome finished with a team-high 20 points and scored 13 after halftime, including eight points in the first four minutes of the second half to give Auburn the lead. After six quick points inside, he drove baseline and converted a reverse layup to make it 37-36. Broome, who added a 3-pointer later in the second half, shot 8-of-15 and grabbed six rebounds.
Williams did most of his work in the first half, leading the Tigers with 12 points before the intermission. There was a stretch where he scored eight straight for Auburn. The senior was 8-of-12 from the field and also pulled down six boards.
"I thought they were terrific," Pearl said. "They shot a great percentage. I would have liked to have gotten it into them more.
"Johni was under the weather this week. He was not feeling well after the (Missouri) game and was out Wednesday and Thursday. He came back to practice Friday. I was very impressed with the fact that he was able to get it turned around. He's a great competitor."
It was the second straight 20-point game for Broome who scored a game-high 20 points against Missouri on Tuesday. He now has four 20-point outings this season, his first at Auburn, and 22 for his career.
As a team, Auburn outscored Vanderbilt 40-22 in the paint.
After Broome and Williams, Auburn's next leading scorer was senior Lior Berman who knocked down a pair of 3-pointers Saturday and matched his career with eight points off the bench. He also had eight points in Tuesday's victory over Missouri.
"Lior Berman had a great run offensively," Pearl said. "He made some big shots and gave us a great lift off the bench."
Vanderbilt's Liam Robbins led all scorers with 24 points. He shot just 3-of-10 from the field but converted 17 of his 20 attempts from the free throw line.
This marks Auburn's fourth straight loss on the road. All four have come by five points or less.
"To win at the end, you've got to get stops and you've got to get to the foul line," Pearl said. "We never even got to the bonus in the second half."
The Tigers (18-9, 8-6) are now tied for fifth in the SEC with Vanderbilt, one game back of Kentucky and Tennessee. They will return home to Neville Arena on Wednesday to face Ole Miss. The game is set to tip off at 8 p.m. CT and will be televised on SEC Network. VANDERBILT POSTGAME NOTES>> Vanderbilt improved to 90-56 in the all-time series with Auburn and 51-18 on its home court.
>> The Commodores made 20-of-27 attempts from the free throw line, while the Tigers went 5-for-10.
>> Jaylin Williams registered 12 of his 17 points in the first half of play at Vanderbilt. He has now scored in double figures in three of the team's last four SEC games. It was his 14th double-figure game this season.
>> Back-to-back 20-point games for Johni Broome with his 20 points at Vanderbilt. He previously tallied a game-high 20 points versus Missouri on Feb. 14. It marked his 22nd career 20-point outing and fourth of the season. He is the second Auburn player this season to record back-to-back 20-point games in SEC play next to Wendell Green Jr. (20 at Texas A&M and 24 vs. Alabama). Broome scored 11-straight points to start the second half against the Commodores.
>> Lior Berman came off the bench and poured in a career-high tying 8 points including two big 3-pointers at Vanderbilt.
