Arizona ended Auburn’s non-conference home winning streak dating back to 2016 with an 80-69 victory at Neville Arena on Friday night. The Wildcats’ road win snapped Auburn’s 71-game unbeaten run against non-conference opponents on their home court, the longest active streak of its kind in the nation, according to ESPN.
Auburn had not lost a non-conference home game since January 30, 2016, when they fell to Oklahoma State. Arizona’s triumph marked their first road win over an SEC team since beating Missouri the same year, also reported by ESPN.
Freshman guard Caleb Holt led Arizona with 24 points and nine rebounds. The Alabama native had struggled from three-point range earlier in the season but went 4-of-6 from beyond the arc in front of a hostile home crowd. Holt’s shooting helped the Wildcats maintain control for much of the game.
Motiejus Krivas contributed a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds, while Ivan Kharchenkov added 19 points. Arizona dominated the boards, out-rebounding Auburn 52-36, and converted 18 of 22 free throws in the closing stages to hold off the Tigers’ comeback attempts.
Auburn was led by Thomas Dowd, who scored 15 points and grabbed nine rebounds, hitting four 3-pointers. Adam Olsen provided 12 points off the bench, and Narcisse Ngoy recorded six blocks as the Tigers totaled 13 rejections. Despite their defensive efforts, Auburn struggled to find offensive consistency, shooting just 34.8 percent from the field. Kevin Overton had a difficult night, going 2-of-13 for five points.
The loss is a setback for Auburn head coach Steven Pearl in his second season, dropping the Tigers to 2-1 on the year. Arizona improved to 3-1 after an opening defeat to UCLA.
Auburn will look to bounce back against West Virginia in their next game, while the Wildcats return home to face No. 4 UConn on Wednesday.
According to Yahoo Sports.
