SAN ANTONIO - The Auburn Tigers fell to the Florida Gators 79-73 Saturday in National Semifinal. Gators’ guard Walter Clayton Jr. led all scorers with 34 points, knocking down five three-pointers.
The game started as expected, with both teams trading buckets and forcing tough looks. Auburn found a slight edge midway through the first half and carried a 46-38 lead into the break. Scoring was even, with Johni Broome leading the way scoring 12 first-half points.
Walter Clayton Jr. had 14 at the half, but it was after the intermission that he left his mark. The Gators came out of the half firing and worked their way to a two-point lead just 4:30 into the period. Auburn weathered the storm and worked back to a four-point lead with 12:11 to go.
The lead would change hands five more times over the course of the game, but an eight-point flurry from Clayton gave the Gators six-point lead with 1:33 to go. Auburn continued to battle, with Chad Baker-Mazara hitting a late three and the Tigers’ defense forcing Florida into tough positions. Auburn found themselves with the ball and a chance to extend the game, but an open three from Miles Kelly would not fall, and Florida would escape with a hard-fought win.
Walter Clayton Jr. led the way for the Gators, scoring 34 points on 11-18 from the field and 5-8 from deep. Gators’ guard Alijah Martin added 17 and forward Thomas Haugh had 12 points and seven rebounds.
“Clayton was the difference,” said Auburn Head Coach Bruce Pearl. “He was just flat out the difference. We couldn't contain him down that end.”
Auburn’s All-American Johni Broome was held to just three points in the second half. The Tigers’ backcourt trio of Tahaad Pettiford, Denver Jones, and Miles Kelly combined for 25 points and shot 3-16 from three-point range.
Auburn wing Chad Baker-Mazara led the Tigers with 18 points, but his phenomenal play was not enough to get over the hump.
The Tigers had 12 turnovers in the second half after having only two in the first. Speaking to Florida’s defensive effort, Pearl said, “We knew they'd come out [of the half] aggressively. I was hoping that our starters would be able to withstand.”
Despite the loss, this was Auburn’s best team in program history. They set a program record of 32 wins and secured Auburn’s first-ever Number 1 seed. Johni Broome was named a consensus First-Team All-American and Bruce Pearl won his first-ever AP Coach of the Year award.
Reflecting on his time at Auburn, fifth-year big man Dylan Cardwell said, “It's bittersweet to end it this way knowing we left the national championship on the table. But being at Auburn has been the best five years of my life.” He continued, “I love these guys. I cherish every single moment, every single memory we made.”
The Tigers’ season with all of its excitement, from dominating the toughest non-conference schedule to winning the SEC Regular Season crown, comes to an end in San Antonio. It is a season that will not soon be forgotten.
