The Auburn Tigers took a road trip down to Gainesville, Fla. this weekend to take on the No. 16 Florida Gators, a team that Auburn hasn’t beaten in their building since 1996. However, that would soon change, as a smothering defensive effort propelled the Tigers to a 76-67 road win.
Auburn set the tone early, taking its first lead less than two minutes into the game and pulling away. Keyshawn Hall was unstoppable for the Tigers in the first 20 minutes of play, brutalizing the Florida defense to the tune of 22 points before the halftime buzzer sounded.
Meanwhile, the Auburn defense kept what had been a highly efficient Gators offense locked down tight despite the rowdy crowd. Florida shot just 38% from the field and 36% from three in the first 20 minutes, and the Gators were a paltry 4-9 from the free throw line to boot.
Entering the night, the main concern was how Auburn would slow down the Florida trio of Thomas Haugh, Reuben Chinyelu, and Alex Condon, all three of whom had been building serious All-SEC campaigns. However, at the half, the three players combined for just 16 points and 3 rebounds.
Auburn doubled up Florida on the boards in the first half to the tune of 16-8, a surprisingly dominant display from Steven Pearl’s smaller squad. Thanks to that effort and Hall’s nuclear first half, Auburn found itself holding a commanding 43-28 lead as both teams headed for the lockers.
However, the second half saw the Gators mount a desperate comeback, eventually tying the game at 54 with 9:07 to play. The Tigers had fully blown their lead, the crowd was deafening, and it seemed to all the world like the No. 16 Gators had the momentum they needed to complete the comeback and walk out with a win.
Despite that, Auburn refused to give up, recollecting themselves and outscoring the Gators 22-13 the rest of the way. The Auburn defense became completely suffocating, and Florida could only manage two field goals the rest of the way, one of which was a three by Xaivian Lee with four seconds remaining when the game was already over.
The effort was easily one of the best of the season for the Tigers, breaking a 30-year winless streak in Gainesville and doing so in gritty, controlling, defensive fashion. It was an impressive statement by head coach Steven Pearl’s squad, and one he did not take for granted.
“That’s an unbelievable win for our ball club,” Pearl said. “You know, we've been here for 11 years. That might be the best road win that we’ve ever had as a program [in that time].”
Keyshawn Hall led the way for Auburn in points with 24, though a different player by the same name had a key impact for the Tigers. KeShawn Murphy racked up 16 points and 9 rebounds in 31 minutes, including an impressive 6-6 effort at the free throw line, a performance he took pride in.
“I’m getting back healthier,” Murphy said. “And a lot of that is me getting confident. The coaches and players put more confidence in me to be able to play my game as the season goes. I pray I continue to stay up and be able to produce like I am today.”
The performance was a huge confidence boost for the Tigers, who are about to face their most difficult stretch of the season. Auburn’s next five games are vs Texas, at Tennessee, vs Alabama, vs Vanderbilt, and at Arkansas. All of those teams except Texas have been ranked top 15 at some point this season, and even the Longhorns have wins over Alabama, Vanderbilt, and Georgia.
Though there’s still work to do, starting with a road win over the defending champions is certainly quite the first step. Auburn will be back home in Neville Arena on Wed, Jan. 28 at 6 p.m. CDT to play host to the Texas Longhorns. Coverage will be available on ESPN2.
