AUBURN, Ala. -- Allen Flannigan scored 21 points and he and JT Thor each sank a pair of clutch free throws in the last 18 seconds to preserve Auburn's 66-59 come-from-behind win over Kentucky on Saturday.
The Wildcats turned the ball over 18 times, 12 of those coming after halftime when Auburn finally found its groove after woeful early shooting, and rallied into the lead for the final 10 minutes.
Flannigan (Little Rock Parkview) scored 16 after halftime, Devan Cambridge scored five of his 13 points during a 9-0 run by the Tigers (8-6, 2-4) midway through the final period when they wrested momentum away from Kentucky (4-8, 3-2).
Freshman Sharife Cooper scored 8 of his 11 points after halftime and made 8 assists.
Flannigan started the pivotal 9-0 run with a defensive rebound leading to his bucket that tied the game at 43. Kentucky lost its next possession on an offensive foul and Cambridge knocked down a three-pointer for a 46-43 lead at 10:07 and Auburn never trailed again.
All nine Wildcats scored with Davion Mitz leading with 11 points, Jacob Toppin added 10 but only two in the second half. Toppin and Dontaie Allen led Kentucky to a 25-21 halftime lead. Allen was held scoreless after intermission, finishing with eight points.
Each team was cold early, Kentucky leading 9-2 despite 4-for-16 shooting only because Auburn was 1 of 15. The Tigers missed their first eight shots from behind the three-point line.
Since the beginning of the 2015-16 season, Auburn is 4-4 against the Wildcats. That is the second-most wins by any SEC team against Kentucky in that span and the first time Auburn has beaten Kentucky in four consecutive seasons since 1987-90.
NO. 10 TENNESSEE 81,
VANDERBILT 61
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Keon Johnson scored 10 of his 16 points in the second half, leading No. 10 Tennessee to a victory over Vanderbilt.
John Fulkerson had 15 points, and Victor Bailey scored 11 for Tennessee (10-1, 3-1).
Vanderbilt (4-6, 0-4) was led by Dylan Disu's 19 points. Scotty Pippen, Jr. scored 18.
Down 10 points at halftime, Vanderbilt clawed back into the game early in the second half. Pippen had seven points and D.J. Harvey scored six as the Commodores closed within four points at 41-37.
Then, Baily took over. He connected on three consecutive three-pointers and Tennessee's increased its lead to 50-39.
Tennessee went five minutes in the first half without a basket, yet still led by 10 points, 34-24, at the break.
NO. 17 MISSOURI 68,
TEXAS A&M 52
COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Dru Smith scored 15 points and No. 17 Missouri shook off rust from an 11-day layoff due to covid-19 protocols to beat Texas A&M.
Jeremiah Tilmon added 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Tigers (8-2, 2-2).
Andre Gordon paced the Aggies (7-5, 2-4) with 19 points.
The Tigers led 27-24 at the half and used a 21-5 run midway through the second half to take control of the game.
After trailing for the majority of the first half, Missouri mounted a 12-2 run to close out the half and held the Aggies scoreless for the final four minutes. In that run, Texas A&M went 0-for-11 from the floor.
The Tigers truly found their form in the second, piecing together a 21-5 run through the middle of the second half to add cushion to the halftime lead. Seven of Pickett's 12 points came during the game-sealing run.
MISSISSIPPI STATE 72,
FLORIDA 69
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Tolu Smith scored a career-high 27 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead Mississippi State to a victory over Florida.
The 6-10 Smith was 11-of-13 shooting. His 6-11 frontline partner Abdul Abu added 11 points on 5-of-5 shooting with 9 rebounds. Mississippi State (9-5, 4-2) dominated the paint, outscoring the Gators 52-28.
The Bulldogs led 70-60 with just under a minute to go. Florida's Tre Mann scored seven points from there before missing an awkward and contested three-pointer at the buzzer.
Tyree Appleby (Jacksonville) made all 11 of his free throws and scored 20 points for the Gators (6-4, 3-3) with Colin Castleton adding 16 points and six blocks after blocking seven in his previous game. He is the first SEC player with six-plus blocked shots in consecutive games since LSU's Jordan Mickey in the 2014-2015 season.
GEORGIA 78,
MISSISSIPPI 74
OXFORD, Miss. -- Tye Fagan scored 19 points, Shavir Wheeler added 18 points and nine assists and Georgia held off Mississippi to win its first conference game of the season and snap a four-game losing streak.
Ole Miss (6-6, 1-4) led almost the entire first half despite going 1 of 13 from the arc and had a one-point lead after Romello White's basket in the opening seconds of the second half. But Fagan scored 13 points in a 24-8 run that left the Bulldogs (8-4, 1-4) ahead 53-38 with 12 minutes remaining.
Devonte Shuler led a 9-0 run with seven points that got the Rebels within a one with 1:27 to go but Wheeler made four free throws over the next minute and another by Justin Kier provided the final margin with five seconds left.
K.D. Johnson, playing in only his second game after given NCAA clearance, followed his 21-point debut against Auburn with 14 points against the Rebels, including four three-pointers on five attempts. Toumani Camara added 13 points. The Bulldogs shot 75% in the second half and 59% for the game.
LSU 85,
SOUTH CAROLINA 80
BATON ROUGE, La. -- Cameron Thomas scored 25 points, Trendon Watford had 23 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists, and LSU rallied to beat South Carolina.
The Tigers (10-2, 5-1) trailed for nearly 34 minutes of game time but went on a 20-4 run during the final eight minutes with Thomas scoring the last six points to make it 84-76 with 34 seconds left. The Gamecocks (3-3, 1-1) missed 11 consecutive shots from the floor while the game slipped away.
Javonte Smart added 15 points and Darius Days scored 11 for LSU.
