A fast start was not enough for No. 2 Auburn as it took its first loss of the season at Cameron Indoor Stadium tonight, 84-78, at the hands of No. 9 Duke.
Auburn shot out of the gate and held a 13-2 lead less than four minutes into the game. The Blue Devils steadily chipped away at the deficit throughout the first half and took a seven-point lead into the locker room at halftime.
Duke successfully contained Auburn’s star big man Johni Broome during the first half, holding him to five points. This played a role in the Blue Devils’ ability to take control of the game.
The Blue Devils picked up where they left off to begin the second half, leading by as much as 12 points. Johni Broome helped the Tigers get back into the game and the Tigers cut Duke’s lead down to two.
Three-point shooting was a problem for Auburn for much of the second half. Its first made shot from beyond the arc came from Tahaad Pettiford 11 minutes into the half. Miles Kelly followed with another shortly after to bring Auburn within two.
Foul trouble also hindered Auburn tonight. Broome fouled out, Pettiford had four fouls each. Kelly, Dylan Cardwell and Chaney Johnson each had three.
Auburn shot 45.3% from the field, 40% from 3-point range and 83.3% from the free-throw line. The Tigers were co-led in scoring by Broome and Pettiford who each had 20 points, in rebounds by Broome with 12 and in assists by Denver Jones with four.
Duke shot 50% from the field, 40.9% from 3-point range and 63% from the free-throw line. The Blue Devils were led in scoring, rebounds and assists by Cooper Flagg who had 22, 11 and four respectively.
Auburn returns to action on Sunday when it hosts Richmond at 11:00 a.m. CT. SEC Network will carry the television broadcast.
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