Tennessee Volunteers vs Auburn Tigers Match Player Stats On Feb 27, 2021

Allen Flanigan's 23 points and a strong second half of shooting led the Auburn Tigers to a 77-72 upset of visiting No. 25 Tennessee on Saturday afternoon in Auburn, Ala.

The Tigers, playing without injured leading scorer Sharife Cooper, hit 11 of 21 shots in the second half and never trailed in the final 20 minutes on their way to a win in one of their final games of the season. Auburn (12-13 overall, 6-10 in SEC) has a self-imposed postseason ban stemming from an investigation into bribery charges brought forth against former assistant coach Chuck Person.

Devan Cambridge added 15 points for Auburn, which ended a three-game losing streak with just their second win in the past eight games.

Keon Johnson led the Volunteers with 23 points. Jaden Springer added 20, including a 3-pointer with 1:11 to play from the top of the circle to cut Auburn's lead to 72-65.

Tennessee (16-7, 9-7) got as close as three, 75-72, but Flanigan sank two free throws with four seconds to play to seal the Auburn victory.

Auburn outscored Tennessee 34-29 after the 12:42 mark of the second half, when the Volunteers' John Fulkerson made a layup to tie the game at 43.

With Cooper and his 20.2 points per game watching from the bench, a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws from Flanigan gave the Tigers a 64-55 lead with 5:48 to play. Auburn didn't falter, as Williams dunked with 2:55 to play for a 68-60 advantage.

Auburn had a 12-point lead with 1:55 left before the Vols made a late rally.

The Volunteers edged closer with Johnson's long jumper that was changed from a 3 to a 2-pointer with 19.8 seconds left, making the score 74-70.

But the young Tigers were able to hold on.

Tennessee guard Victor Bailey Jr. finished with nine points after averaging almost 23 a game over the past three.

--Field Level Media