ATLANTA, Georgia — Kendric Davis scored a season-high 27 points, DeAndre Williams added 16 points and 11 rebounds and Memphis ended 11th-ranked Auburn's season-opening eight-game win streak 82-73 Saturday night.
Davis’ jumper beat the shot clock buzzer to make it 60-50 with 11:18 remaining, and Memphis (8-2) was never threatened again. The closest Auburn (8-1) got was an eight-point deficit on K.D. Johnson’s free throws with 3:04 left in the game.
Wendell Green Jr. and Johnson each finished with 14 points and Chris Moore had 12 for Auburn (8-1), which began the day as one of 10 unbeaten teams left in the nation.
Green’s offensive foul wiped out his basket and a missed layup by Moore in the closing minutes, and coach Bruce Pearl was called for a technical with 1:30 remaining to end Auburn’s last hope. Davis sank two free throws to make it 75-65 heading into the final minute.
Memphis took the game’s first double-digit lead at 54-44 on Keonte Kennedy’s layup with 13:29 remaining and never looked back. Davis assisted on Williams’ dunk and stole the ball and hit a fast-break layup to make it 67-52 and cause Auburn to call timeout at the 7:55 mark.
Auburn was trying to get off to a 9-0 start for the second time in nine seasons under Pearl, whose 2019-20 team started 15-0.
Davis, the reigning player of the year in the American Athletic Conference, came up limping on the baseline late in the first but stayed in the game and played a team-high 38 minutes. He went 9 for 19 from the field, handed out six assists and pulled down nine rebounds.
Auburn starting forward Jaylin Williams did not suit up for the Colgate game due to illness.
One game after setting season highs with 93 points and 10 3s in a lopsided win over Colgate, Auburn shot just 38.1% and went 6 for 24 beyond the arc.
Memphis began the game averaging just 13 turnovers per game and committed 19.
BIG PICTURE
Auburn: The Tigers came into the game eighth in the nation in offensive rebounds but had just one at halftime and finished with 11. Auburn was outrebounded 42-33, a deficiency that went a long way to explain why Auburn had so many one-shot possessions and struggled to get back on defense against Memphis’ transition.
Memphis: The Tigers overcame foul trouble in the first half with starters Williams and Alex Lomax and reserve Malcolm Dandridge each getting whistled three times. Starter Chandler Wilson was called for two fouls, but Memphis settled into a zone defense to limit the fouls and force Auburn into low-percentage shots. Dandridge fouled out early in the second half.
UP NEXT
Memphis visits No. 8 Alabama on Tuesday.
Auburn hosts Georgia State on Wednesday.
