COLUMBIA, SC – Allen Flanigan set his career’s highest record with 24 points and led five double-digit Tigers on Saturday in Auburn’s 109-86 rout in South Carolina, a program record in a game outside the SEC.
“Everyone who comes to Auburn, we came here to make history,” said Flanigan, who added six rebounds and four assists. “We made history tonight. The guards focused on being able to get the guys out of the dribble and everyone moving and spacing the track so we can get open kicks and make moves for everyone.”
With a variety of alleys-and-oops, cars-and-plates and no appearance, freshman Sharife Cooper distributed 12 assists and scored 16 points in just his fifth high school game.
Jaylin Williams scored 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds. JT Thor added 14 points and seven rebounds. Devan Cambridge scored 10 points.
Auburn (9-7, 3-5) defeated the Gamecocks (3-5, 1-3) for the third consecutive time.
“It was a good victory on the road. We are making progress, improving,” said the Auburn coach Bruce Pearl. “Great balance. I thought JT and Jaylin Williams really responded. JT is getting better. Al does everything. Devan was great off the bench. Overall, a great afternoon. “
Cooper double-doubled at half-time, with 11 assists and just one turn, helping Auburn take a 57-42 lead.
“To be a great small player, you have to be the toughest guy on the ground,” said Pearl. “Sharife is going to be rejected in every game, every game. It doesn’t bother him. He’s a tough boy, and that is necessary for smaller players.”
After scoring his last five field goals to end the first half, Tigre continued to attack after the break, scoring the first six points of the second half.
“We went out in the second half and didn’t take our foot off the accelerator, especially offensively,” said Pearl.
“We all got together and kept our energy up,” said Williams. “(Assistant coach Steven Pearl) brought us together, jumping from side to side, keeping our same energy coming out of the second half. “
Auburn led by 31 points before Bruce Pearl emptied his bank in the final minutes. Eleven Tigers scored, including Lior Berman, who hit a pair of 3s and scored six points, the best of his career.
Auburn’s 23-point winning margin is the largest in a SEC victory since a 98-75 victory at LSU on February 21, 2017.
The Tigers scored 14 points out of 3 out of 27 attempts, eclipsing the century mark in Babatunde Akingbola’s buried with five minutes left to play. The Tigers hit 15 out of 16 on the free-throw line, a 93.8 percent hit.
Auburn overcame South Carolina by 46-34, leading to a 21-9 lead on second chance points.
Seeking his fourth SEC victory in five games, Auburn hosts Missouri on Tuesday at 8 PM CT on ESPN2.
Jeff Shearer is a senior writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer