GAME RECAP: #9 Auburn 81, South Carolina 66

Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports

Ten straight wins for the Tigers!

There’s a thing called exponential growth, and what we’re seeing now is that Auburn basketball is producing exponential growth in the Twittersphere each and every time they win a game.

Tonight’s numbers? 460 replies in two minutes after dispatching South Carolina 81-66 at Colonial Life Arena.

Final tonight at Colonial Life Arena. #Gamecocks // #ForeverToThee pic.twitter.com/4bBSXnjXA8

— Gamecock MBB (@GamecockMBB) January 5, 2022

The deep-fried memes were the nightcap after Auburn’s defense showed off yet again, allowing fewer than 30 first-half points, and the bench overcame a slow night from Jabari Smith and K.D. Johnson on the way to the Tigers’ tenth-straight win.

Wendell Green, Jr. chafed the Cocks with 22 points, and Walker Kessler added another double-double. The bench nearly outscored the starters with 40 points on the night, and Auburn shot 53% overall with a 46% clip from downtown while toying with South Carolina basically from start to finish.

Auburn began the game playing even with the Gamecocks, taking an 8-6 lead at the first media timeout on a Dylan Cardwell dunk, but the damage would be done over the next few minutes. Leading 11-10 with 13:26 to go until the half, Wendell Green started a run with a pair of buckets before lobbing a full-court pass to Kessler for a dunk. The Tigers led 17-10 before Zep Jasper, Chris Moore, and Jaylin Williams all added buckets to build a 23-10 edge less than three minutes later.

Down the stretch of the first half, Green would make his impact known yet again with consecutive buckets to push the lead to 19 at 44-25 after his three-pointer, and the Tigers held a 44-29 lead at halftime.

Out of the intermission, Auburn pushed the lead to 21 before the first stoppage in play, and at the midway point of the half they led 61-43. South Carolina would be able to cut into that lead and bring it back down to an eight-point game with consecutive threes, but Jabari Smith hit a jumper to push the lead back to double digits. He’d add a three in the final two minutes to ice the game and finished with 10 points despite not playing well for much of the game. In the end, Auburn cruised to the 15-point win.

FINAL STATS

UP NEXT

Auburn will head back home to host Florida for a 7 pm CST tip-off at Auburn Arena this Saturday night.

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