Comeback falls short as No. 15 Auburn loses to West Virginia in SEC/Big 12 Challenge

Auburn spent most of the second half chipping away at a West Virginia lead which grew as big as 17 points and the Tigers got themselves in position to tie the game in the final minute of their trip to Morgantown during the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. But the visitors saw two 3-pointers miss the mark in the final 21 seconds, allowing the Mountaineers to finish off an 80-77 victory.

Erik Stevenson had a nearly perfect day for West Virginia, finishing with a game-high 31 points which included seven 3-pointers, but he missed a free throw with six seconds left in the game which left the door open for an Auburn miracle. Wendell Green Jr. got the rebound and sprinted down court before firing a 3-pointer from the right wing, only to see the attempt fall short of the rim.

Auburn (16-5) has lost two consecutive games for the first time since Feb. 2021. The Tigers are now 2-2 in SEC/Big 12 Challenge games since 2020.

With the deficit at double digits with less than 12 minutes to go in the game, KD Johnson knocked down a 3-pointer to spark the comeback attempt. Auburn followed it up with seven straight points and eventually cut the lead to one with just over two minutes to go. However, Stevenson knocked down his final triple of the game late in the shot clock to push the lead back to four points.

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Jaylin Williams led Auburn with 18 points, going 7-of-11 from the field. Johni Broome had 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists before fouling out in the final seconds.

As a team, Auburn shot 49.2 percent from the floor including a 56.3 rate during the second half. Six different players made a 3-pointer for the Tigers but the team still finished just 6-of-19 from beyond the arc. West Virginia finished 9-of-20 on threes.

Auburn finished with an advantage in rebounds, points in the paint and fast break points but it wasn't enough to overcome the hosts' quick start to the game.

West Virginia (13-8) made eight more free throws than the visitors, shooting 84 percent from the line.

Both teams will return to conference play for the remainder of the regular season. Auburn will be back in action Wednesday night at Neville Arena when it hosts Georgia as the Tigers look to avenge an earlier loss to the Bulldogs. The game is scheduled to tip off at 6 p.m.