Auburn, Ala. (EETV) - A late rally for No. 8 Auburn proves not enough as the Aggies hand the Tigers their first home loss 81-80.
With 3 seconds to go, Auburn had a chance to win the game on a 3-point buzzer beater from Mustapha Heron but the shot fell short as time expired.
"We didn't execute it properly," Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said of the final shot. "We had all that time and went through it a million times, but still didn't execute it properly."
Despite missing the game-winning shot, Heron would finish the night with a game-high 28 points.
Auburn was down 17 points in the second half but slowly got back in the game.
The Tigers tied the game at 80 with 10 seconds left off 2 free throws from
"Obviously, Horace stepping up and making free throws was huge," said Pearl.
With overtime looming, Texas A&M made one final push for a lead with Duane Wilson driving to the hoop.
On the controversial play, in Auburn fans opinion,
“His foot was on the line, and the ball was gone. It’s tough," Pearl said of the call. " The calls at the end didn't lose us the game."
"He got hurt on the dunk," said Pearl. “Shoulder strain - he’s pretty sore, so he obviously will need to go through some tests tomorrow to see what he has.”
Size proved an issue all evening for Auburn. The Aggies are the eighth tallest team in college basketball, and they currently lead the SEC in rebounds.
"We really missed
The Aggies would haul in 33 rebounds on the night.
The win over Auburn gave the Aggies their second victory over a top-10 opponent this season.
The Tigers will be on the road heading to Athens, Georgia where they’ll face UGA
