AUBURN, Ala. -- The bench helped trigger No. 5 Auburn's emphatic reboot from a slow start.
Anfernee McLemore started the resurgence with a dunk and fellow backups Allen Flanigan (Little Rock Parkview) and Jamal Johnson kept it going with three-pointers Saturday in the Tigers' 82-60 victory over Georgia to keep their perfect start going.
Samir Doughty had 17 points and Auburn (15-0, 3-0 SEC) surged with a 40-13 run after falling behind early to the Bulldogs (10-5, 0-2), a dominant stretch that extended into the second half.
The reserves did their part.
"It was a big spark for the team," McLemore said. "We didn't start off as well as we wanted to, so me and Allen being able to come off the bench was big for our team."
Auburn got hot and the Bulldogs, who shot 38%, cooled down.
McLemore and the freshman Flanigan both scored 12 points for the Tigers. It was a career high for Flanigan, who also helped defend Georgia star freshman Anthony Edwards. Doughty added six rebounds and four assists.
Rayshaun Hammonds added 12 points for the Bulldogs, who were coming off a 78-69 loss to No. 14 Kentucky in a tough stretch. The Tigers didn't let this one stay that close.
"They are one of the deepest, toughest, incredibly well coached groups in the country," Georgia Coach Tom Crean said. "And they're also one of the oldest and they know how to play and they don't panic.
"They don't seem to let misses and things like that affect them on the other end, and it really stood out even more today with our youth."
Crean said Georgia, which started three freshmen, didn't respond as well to shooting struggles and let it affect the defense and rebounding "big-time."
Edwards struggled much of the game but still finished with 18 points, nearly his season average. He was 6-of-15 shooting and made just 4 of 11 from the free throw line.
"He showed it a little bit in his emotions," Flanigan said. "He dropped his head a couple of times, so it gave me more confidence to keep pressuring him."
The Bulldogs had an early eight-point lead swallowed up by Auburn runs of 12-2 and 17-1. The Tigers held Georgia without a field goal for the final 6:31 during the second surge, building a 35-24 halftime lead.
Christian Brown scored the final four points on free throws to cut Georgia's deficit a bit. The Bulldogs couldn't come closer after that.
Auburn Coach Bruce Pearl said it was "probably the best the bench has played."
"Anfernee and Allen and Jamal were terrific and when that bench starts playing like that, we've got a chance to be a very good ball club," Pearl said.
NO. 14 KENTUCKY 76,
ALABAMA 67
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Immanuel Quickley scored the game's final five points and finished with 19, and Kentucky topped Alabama for its 1,000th SEC victory.
The Wildcats (12-3, 3-0) led by 15 early in the second half before a cold stretch allowed the Crimson Tide to climb within 63-60 with just over five minutes remaining. But Quickley stepped up down the stretch.
Kentucky beat Alabama for the 12th time in 13 meetings despite shooting just 32% after intermission. The Wildcats are 1,000-281 overall in SEC play.
Herbert Jones had 18 points for the Crimson Tide (8-7, 1-2), and John Petty Jr. finished with 16.
TENNESSEE 56,
SOUTH CAROLINA 55
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- John Fulkerson had 15 points and 10 rebounds and drew a game-clinching charge with 1.4 seconds left as Tennessee edged South Carolina.
South Carolina (8-7, 0-2) had the ball in the closing seconds with a chance to take the lead, but A.J. Lawson drove into Fulkerson in the lane and was called for the offensive foul. Tennessee (10-5, 2-1) threw a long pass that Jordan Bowden caught while staying inbounds to run out the clock.
Lawson, who entered the day with a team-leading 15.2 points per game, had just four points Saturday and missed all seven of his field-goal attempts.
Santiago Vescovi had 13 points and Josiah-Jordan James had 10 for Tennessee. South Carolina's Maik Kotsar had 17 and Jermaine Couisnard had 15.
Tennessee led 56-53 and had possession in the final minute, but Lawson stole the ball from Vescovi and hit a pair of free throws with 36.5 seconds left to cut the lead to 56-55.
Bowden missed a three-pointer on the Vols' next possession, but the ball went out of bounds off South Carolina with 10.4 seconds left. Tennessee then missed a desperation attempt as the shot clock expired, giving South Carolina one last chance that ended with the Lawson charge.
TEXAS A&M 69,
VANDERBILT 50
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Andre Gordon scored 15 points, and Texas A&M beat Vanderbilt to spoil the Commodores' SEC home opener.
The Commodores' 22nd consecutive loss in league play is the least of first-year Coach Jerry Stackhouse's concerns. Sophomore guard Aaron Nesmith, the SEC's leading scorer and fifth nationally averaging 23 points a game, watched from the bench, forced to use a scooter to keep his weight off his right foot protected by a walking boot.
Jay Jay Chandler added 10 points for the Aggies (8-6, 2-1) who never trailed in winning their second in a row.
Ejike Obinna and Maxwell Evans scored 12 points apiece to lead Vanderbilt, and Scotty Pippen Jr. added 10.
Texas A&M took control from the start and held Vanderbilt to a season low in points. The Aggies used a 17-3 run to take their biggest lead at 28-12 on a layup by Miller. Even as Texas A&M went through a scoring drought, Vanderbilt (8-7, 0-2) couldn't take advantage. The Commodores pulled within 32-20 on a three-pointer by Saben Lee.
Vanderbilt made a trio of three-pointers in the first half -- half the Commodores' made buckets -- as Texas A&M led 36-20. The Aggies just kept pushing the lead and were up 60-29 with 8:31 to go.
MISSOURI 91, FLORIDA 75
COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Dru Smith scored 22 points and dished six assists to lead Missouri to a victory over Florida.
The Tigers (9-6, 1-2), who entered the game ranked next-to-last in the league in scoring offense, tied their season-high point total. They shot a blistering 61.5% from the field and 63.2% from three-point range. Javon Pickett and Mark Smith scored 14 each, and Mitchell Smith finished with 10.
Kerry Blackshear led Florida (10-5, 2-1) with 22 points, Noah Locke added 12 and Scottie Lewis had 10.
Mark Smith sank a three-pointer on the game's opening possession, and the Tigers were off and running. In the first half, they created fast breaks with five steals, scored 20 points in the paint and made 8 of 11 shots from beyond the arc. Xavier Pinson drew one of the biggest roars of the season from the Mizzou Arena crowd when he led the break, faked a pass to the right corner and dunked in traffic to give Missouri a 13-5 lead. The Tigers led 51-36 at halftime.
LSU 60, MISSISSIPPI ST. 59
BATON ROUGE -- Skylar Mays hit a jumper from just inside the three-point line at the buzzer to give LSU a victory against Mississippi State.
The Tigers (11-4, 3-0) trailed 53-44 with five minutes remaining in the game. LSU scored seven consecutive points -- five from Emmitt Williams -- to trail 53-51 with 3:09 to play. The Tigers took the lead at 57-55 on a three-pointer by Charles Manning with one minute left in the game.
The Bulldogs (9-6, 0-3) tied the score 10 seconds later when Nick Weatherspoon sank two free throws. Williams gave the Tigers a 58-57 lead when he made 1 of 2 free throws. Weatherspoon had the chance to put Mississippi State back on top, but he missed two foul shots with eight seconds left.
The Bulldogs kept possession when Williams couldn't grab the rebound on Weatherspoon's second missed free throw. Reggie Perry's layup with four seconds left put Mississippi State on top 59-58. Following a timeout, Mays caught the inbounds pass, dribbled into the front court and made his shot.
Williams was the top scorer for LSU with 17 points. Manning had 15 points, while Mays finished with 11 points. The Tigers shot just 37% from the field and missed 19 of their 21 three-point attempts.
Weatherspoon had 14 points to lead the Bulldogs. Perry had 13 points and 15 rebounds, while Abdul Ado had 12 points and 12 rebounds.
Sports on 01/12/2020