Published Feb 1, 2020
Auburn surges late, gets statement win over Kentucky
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Nathan King  •  AuburnSports
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Auburn has its statement win.

Eight hours after the College GameDay set was on the court at Auburn Arena for the first time ever, the No. 17 Tigers celebrated on that court with a 75-66 victory over No. 13 Kentucky.

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Senior 2-guard Samir Doughty scored 16 of Auburn's first 21 points, helping the Tigers work out of an early 5-point deficit. Auburn also dug in and ramped up defense after a few early 3-pointers allowed, as Kentucky went over eight minutes without a basket in the first half.

But Auburn couldn't much take advantage because it also hit a rough stretch, missing nine of 10 attempts while going six minutes without scoring in a first half that featured 23 combined personal fouls and a technical call on Bruce Pearl.

The Top-25 matchup swapped leads rapidly at the start of the second period as it seemed every time Auburn grabbed the lead and momentum, one of Kentucky's lightning-quick guards would race down to the other and take the advantage right back.

The Tigers then went cold without Doughty on the floor as the Cats clung to what was around a three-possession lead.

The subpar stretch was broken by an Isaac Okoro triple, after which Auburn scored 11 of the game's next 17 points to take a 5-point lead with three minutes remaining.

The Tigers built on that advantage by making five of their last seven shots. Including another triple from Okoro that put Auburn up six points with 2:36 left, the Tigers scored 10 of the game's final 14 points.

Check with AuburnSports.com for more postgame coverage of Auburn's win.

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