AUBURN | Bruce Pearl was worried about free throw disparity going into the game, and in the end it made the difference for No. 12 Kentucky in an 82-80 win over the 14th-ranked Tigers at Auburn Arena.
Jared Harper nailed a 3-pointer with 32 seconds left to give Auburn an 80-79 lead and complete a 17-point comeback, but the Wildcats made two free throws to go back ahead 81-80.
Harper’s layup attempt with seven seconds left rimmed out and the Wildcats added a final free throw before Samir Doughty’s long 3-point attempt sailed wide at the buzzer.
“We fouled them too much, sent them to the foul line way too much,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. “This is the fourth-straight SEC game where we’ve had a deficit when it came to getting to the foul line. We’ve got to finish more physically ourselves through contact and find ways to get to the foul line more.”
Kentucky (24-for-33) made more free throws than Auburn (15-for-20) attempted. Coming into the game, the Tigers had 44 free throw attempts in their first three conference games while their opponents had 72.
Auburn falls to 13-4 overall and 2-2 in the SEC while Kentucky improves to 14-3 and 4-1.
Bryce Brown led a torrid second half scoring 25 of his 28 points after the break. Brown made all seven of his field goal attempts in the second half, but didn’t have an attempt the final four minutes of the game.
“The first half they were really pressed up on me trying to run me off the line, and I knew in the second half I just had to me a little bit more aggressive,” Brown said. So I started the second half off with a 2-pointer and that kind of opened me up a little bit. But just staying aggressive. I kind of figured they were going to play me like that, try to run me off the line. I just had to stay aggressive in the second half.”
With starting center Austin Wiley sidelined with a foot injury, the Wildcats were relentless driving inside, out-scoring Auburn 38-24 in the paint. Kentucky out-rebounded the Tigers 33-26. Auburn’s two other bigs, Anfernee McLemore and Horace Spencer, fouled out late in the second half.
“Kentucky is bigger at every position. They’re more physical at every position,” Pearl said. “The way that they could beat us was the way they best us, coming off of physical pin-downs, posting us up on the inside.”
Kentucky took command of a close game with a 9-0 run at the end of the first half to take a 35-27 lead at the break. The Wildcats added an 11-2 run in the first three minutes of the second half to build a 17-point lead.
Harper had 17 points and six assists while Chuma Okeke had 11 points and six rebounds. Malik Dunbar added 10 points and seven rebounds off the bench.
Danjel Purifoy played in his first SEC game of the season, scoring three points in eight minutes.
The Tigers play at South Carolina Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Bryce Brown made 7-of-7 field goals including 5-of-5 3-pointers in the second half after only attempting two shots in the first half. He added three assists and one steal in 32 minutes. All three of his turnovers came in the first half.
PLAY OF THE GAME: Jared Harper pulled up for a long 3-pointer with 32 seconds left to give Auburn its first lead in more than 23 minutes.
STAT OF THE NIGHT: Auburn had just two second-chance points on seven offensive rebounds. Kentucky had nine on nine offensive boards.
QUOTE OF THE NIGHT: Harper on his shot with seven second left: “I knew when I was able to get by him that I had the angle. I feel like when I shot it I put it on the right place on the backboard, and it just didn’t go in. It’s as simple as that.”
QUOTE OF THE NIGHT II: Kentucky head coach John Calipari on Harper’s shot: “We're lucky to get out of here alive. We're lucky he missed that little shot.”
