Auburn Tigers at TCU Horned Frogs

Freshmen lead Auburn again for 88-80 SEC-Big 12 win over TCU

Wiley had a season-high 25 points, including a dunk early in a 25-2 run to put the Tigers ahead for good in the second half of an 88-80 victory over the Horned Frogs on Saturday night. It was Auburn's fourth try in the SEC/Big 12 matchups that interrupt conference play.

"They're not built like that anymore," coach Bruce Pearl said of his 6-foot-11, 255-pound center. "He spreads out and he takes up the entire lane. He does a great job of sealing on ball reversal and we're just OK getting it to him."

They were better in this game, matching a season high with 23 assists, led by seven from senior T.J. Dunans. One of those was on Wiley's dunk that put Auburn up 58-57, the last of 11 lead changes in the first 26 minutes on a run that ended with the Tigers leading 80-59.

Alex Robinson scored 20 for the Horned Frogs (14-7), who have lost a season-high four straight games since getting over .500 in Big 12 play for the first time in the school's fifth season in the league.

"Everybody's felt good about what we were doing but we're in a new spot here," first-year coach Jamie Dixon said. "Because we just didn't play well at all. We've got to look at ourselves and we've got to get more done in practice."

Leading scorer Mustapha Heron had 17 points before fouling out and fellow freshmen Anfernee McLemore and Jared Harper added 13 points apiece for Auburn (14-7), the only team in the country with freshmen as the top four scorers.

Wiley was 11 of 13 from the field and the team's leading scorer again a week after doing it the first time. He had his previous season high of 19 in a 20-point home win against Alabama.

The Tigers improved to 3-0 against the Big 12 after pre-SEC wins against Texas Tech and Oklahoma. Both of those were at neutral sites.

"It's a great win for the SEC," Pearl said. "Obviously the Big 12 is rated the best conference in college basketball. And they're going to get seven or eight teams in the NCAA Tournament. That's what the math says. And right now they're talking about not that many from the SEC."

TCU, which lost in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge for the first time after three wins, shot 61 percent in the first half but missed seven consecutive shots during Auburn's decisive run.

"I think when we're missing shots it's affecting everything we do," Dixon said. "We're looking at our stats and feeling sorry for ourselves."

Vladimir Brodziansky had 19 points and a game-high eight rebounds for the Horned Frogs.

BIG PICTURE

Auburn: The second-half surge should be a boost for a young team that is exceeding expectations in the SEC. The Tigers have won three of four and answered a blowout loss at South Carolina with a confidence-builder on the road.

TCU: All the momentum generated by the Horned Frogs' promising start in the Big 12 is gone, and it won't be easy to get it back in a difficult league. And this loss won't help the Horned Frogs' long-shot hopes for the NCAA Tournament.

MISSING IN ACTION

Kenrich Williams, who leads TCU with eight double-doubles, was never a factor because of foul trouble. The Big 12's rebounding leader finished with three points and a season-low one rebound in 12 minutes. He fouled out on an illegal screen with more than seven minutes remaining.

HOT AND COLD

Auburn's four freshmen were 28 of 36 from the field (78 percent). That included McLemore making all six of his attempts. Their teammates were 8 of 31 (26 percent). On balance, it was a decent shooting night at 54 percent. "I never felt good about what we were doing defensively," Dixon said.

UP NEXT

Auburn: Pearl's former team, Tennessee, at home on Tuesday before a visit to Alabama next Saturday.

TCU: A trip to Kansas State on Wednesday, then consecutive home games against Texas and Texas Tech.

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