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The Auburn Tigers went into College Station Tuesday night, hoping to regain the top-25 ranking they had lost to Tennessee three days prior. Texas A&M had other plans, securing an 83-78 victory to sweep the season series against Auburn.
Final from College Station. #WarEagle | @ChickfilA pic.twitter.com/TpvaLGQknB
— Auburn Basketball (@AuburnMBB) February 8, 2023
Game Recap
Auburn had a hot start in the first half, and they seemed like they were going to hold the momentum going into halftime. With 6:28 left in the half, the Tigers lead by as much as 12 points. Though poor guard play had plagued the team in the past, guards Wendell Green Jr. and Allen Flanigan were creating dynamic opportunities.
https://twitter.com/AuburnMBB/status/1623119025537716225?s=20&t=LbiDUnnVuYt-zejSyM6b6g
However, with four minutes on the clock in the first half, the tide turned. The Aggies mounted a 13-0 run, which would eventually give them the lead entering halftime, 37-36.
The second half had a similar structure to the first, with Auburn playing aggressively out of the gate. They quickly regained the lead before the Aggies woke back up.
Big man running the floor! pic.twitter.com/QggZ6cLwIL
— Auburn Basketball (@AuburnMBB) February 8, 2023
As they did in the first half, the Aggies turned it around and made the game very competitive down the stretch. For most of the final ten minutes, the lead was changing constantly. With two minutes left, both teams stiffened up their defense, and the score locked at 78-76 Aggies. This score stuck for a minute and a half until Auburn’s Zep Jasper fouled Tyrece Radford and he sunk both free throws.
After a couple more Auburn fouls, the game ended, 83-78.
https://twitter.com/aggiembk/status/1623177617837891584?s=20&t=LbiDUnnVuYt-zejSyM6b6g
Impact Players
Despite the loss, Auburn had some bright spots. Tigers fans have been griping about the play of the team’s guards for most of the year, but Wendell Green Jr. had a solid outing Tuesday night. He dropped 20 points, along with four boards and six assists.
The other star for Auburn was forward Johni Broome, who recorded his eighth double-double of the season. Broome had 18 points on 8-for-11 shooting and 10 rebounds.
.@JohniBroome with his 8️⃣th double double of the season.
18 pts, 10 reb, 3 blk pic.twitter.com/P3DU5usfBY
— Auburn Basketball (@AuburnMBB) February 8, 2023
On the other side of the court, a couple of Aggies had very respectable performances in both the frontcourt and the backcourt.
Guard Wade Taylor IV drained four triples and added seven assists, while forward Julius Marble had 20 points on 61.5% shooting. Marble grabbed seven rebounds in the game as well.
https://twitter.com/aggiembk/status/1623193790277115904?s=20&t=LbiDUnnVuYt-zejSyM6b6g
Moving Forward
Auburn has a few days of rest before they take on rival Alabama, who is currently ranked No. 3 in the nation. That game is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Saturday.
Texas A&M also plays Saturday — they will be heading to Louisiana to take on LSU at 8:30 p.m.
