AUBURN | Auburn finally. And I mean finally closed one out.

The Tigers, which had suffered six single-digit defeats in the last five weeks, used a late 12-1 run to beat No. 12 Tennessee 79-70 at Neville Arena.

"The league is so competitive; teams play so hard, so physically," said AU coach Bruce Pearl. "Man, I mean this team has been through some real adversity, but continued to get up off the mat and compete and buy into a scouting report.

"Just an incredible job. I'm so happy for the players."

Auburn finishes the regular season 20-11 overall and 10-8 in the SEC. It’s AU’s 14th 20-win season and fifth in nine years under Bruce Pearl.

In a back-and-forth game that included 11 lead changes, AU took control in the final six minutes. The run started with a tip-in by Johni Broome. Jaylin Williams followed with a made jumper and two free throws.

Allen Flanigan and Wendell Green both converted 3-point plays on a layup and foul as AU turned a 3-point deficit into a 72-64 lead with 1:37 left.

Green led all scorers with 24 points on 8 of 14 shooting from the floor and 2 of 4 from 3-point range. He also made all six of his free throw attempts and added four assists and two steals.

"I don't think anybody is worried about the shots that they're getting. I think we're all at that point now, because every game is win or go home," said Green. "Nobody's worried about their stats and stuff like that. We're just sharing the ball and taking open shots. I think we've been taking care of the ball better, for the most part, for the last few games. We keep doing that and make some shots, we're in great standing."

Johni Broome had 17 points and seven rebounds, Allen Flanigan 16 points and Jaylin Williams 13 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.

AU shot 55.2 percent from the floor in the second half, outscoring UT 49-36. UT didn’t make a field goal over the final 6:13 of the game.

"We were just flying around as a team, all around," said Williams. "We didn't care about the matchups. We were just trying to guard everybody. Tennessee runs all around the court, especially their guards. We were just trying to stay together, work, box out and rebound."

A 7-0 run helped UT build a 7-point lead late in the first half before Green hit a corner 3-pointer at the buzzer to make it a 34-30 deficit at the break.

Auburn will play again Thursday in the second round of the SEC Tournament in Nashville, Tenn.