COLUMBIA, Mo. -- As Missouri's two point guards, Dru Smith and Xavier Pinson rarely play on the same side in practice.
The pair looked comfortable together on Saturday, each scoring 28 points as Missouri beat No. 11 Auburn 85-73.
"It was a little weird at first, weird playing off the ball, but I love having X out there with me," Smith said. "When we're both being aggressive, it gives us a great chance to win games."
Smith and Pinson started playing together in games more often in the past two weeks after starting guard Mark Smith was sidelined with a back injury. The slender Pinson has a quick first step and can elevate for emphatic dunks. The bulkier Smith muscles into the lane and patiently tricks defenders into leaving their feet with pivots and pump fakes.
"Pinson and Smith were really tough covers," Auburn Coach Bruce Pearl said. "They play with great confidence, great poise."
Kobe Brown added 10 points and nine rebounds for Missouri (12-13, 4-8 SEC).
Austin Wiley led Auburn (22-3, 9-3) with 22 points and 10 rebounds. J'Von McCormick scored 21, and Samir Doughty added 16. Auburn made just 1 of 17 shots from three-point range.
"Missouri did a good job of switching," Pearl said. "They were creating matchups for us to take advantage of with drives and post-ups, but we weren't getting open shots because they were switching on the perimeter."
Smith and Pinson combined to score 33 points on 12-of-15 shooting in the first half. Pinson freed himself with a crossover dribble and sank a three-pointer at the halftime buzzer, giving Missouri a 45-32 lead.
Pinson took a long break after drawing his fourth foul with 13 minutes left in the game, but Smith picked up the slack, especially at the foul line, where he made 12 of 13 free throws.
"He's sneaky," Pinson said. "You'll think he's tired, then, boom, he cuts backdoor. Or he'll pump-fake and get you up in air and draw a foul. He's just an incredible player."
ALABAMA 88, NO. 25 LSU 82
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Kira Lewis Jr. scored 27 points, Jaden Shackelford had 26 and Alabama held off a big comeback attempt by No. 25 LSU.
The Crimson Tide (13-12, 6-6) knocked the Tigers (18-7, 9-3) from a share of the league lead after blowing virtually all of an 18-point lead.
LSU came into the day in a three-way tie for first place in the SEC with Auburn and No. 12 Kentucky but has lost three of its last four games since an 8-0 league start.
LSU guard Skylar Mays had 24 points and nine rebounds in his third consecutive game scoring 20-plus.
FLORIDA 84,
VANDERBILT 66
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Noah Locke scored 19 points thanks mostly to a season-high six three-pointers, Kerry Blackshear Jr. added 15 and Florida hammered Vanderbilt as the Gators honored Billy Donovan.
Florida (16-9, 8-4) celebrated naming the O'Connell Center floor "Billy Donovan Court" at halftime. The Oklahoma City Thunder coach was on hand for the party. Donovan's parents, his wife, their four children, nearly 30 former players and several ex-assistants also were in attendance.
Vanderbilt Coach Jerry Stackhouse watched more than half the game from the locker room. He was ejected in the waning seconds of the first half after getting consecutive technical fouls. He felt like Scottie Lewis' foul on Matthew Moyer should have been called flagrant. Stackhouse ran onto the court to protest and was hit with a second technical.
Vanderbilt trailed 48-19 at the break.
The Gators finished 10 of 20 from three-point range against the Commodores (9-16, 1-11).
NO. 12 KENTUCKY 67,
MISSISSIPPI 62
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Nick Richards had 16 points, including two go-ahead free throws 1:11 remaining, and Immanuel Quickley and Keion Brooks each made two more in the closing seconds to help No. 12 Kentucky escape Mississippi.
The Wildcats (20-5, 10-2) shot just 39% overall but made 48% in the second half to erase a seven-point deficit and create a back-and-forth game for the final eight minutes. Richards followed two free throws with 2:11 left with two more a minute later to put Kentucky up 63-62.
Devontae Shuler then airballed a three-pointer out of bounds with nine seconds left. Quickley, who had 17 points, was fouled a few seconds later and added two from the line with 6.6 left before Keion Brooks Jr. sealed the win with two more.
Tyrese Maxey had 14 points while EJ Montgomery and Richards combined for 15 rebounds as Kentucky beat the Rebels 41-33 on the glass.
Breein Tyree had 19 points, while Blake Hinson and KJ Buffen each had 13 for Ole Miss (13-12, 4-8), which had won three in a row. The Rebels dropped their 11th consecutive series game to the Wildcats.
TEXAS A&M 74, GEORGIA 69
COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Emanuel Miller scored a game-high 21 points and Texas A&M wiped out a 12-point deficit to defeat Georgia.
The game was tied 59-59 with 4:32 remaining before the Aggies outscored the Bulldogs 15-10 the rest of the way. Miller scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half.
The Aggies (12-12, 6-6) avenged a 63-48 loss at Georgia (12-13, 2-10) on Feb. 1. The Bulldogs used a 15-6 burst in that game to start the second half and never looked back. This time, the Aggies outscored the Bulldogs 45-31 in the second half to pull away late, and snap a two-game losing streak.
Bulldogs freshman Anthony Edwards was held to six points on 2-of-7 shooting. Rayshaun Hammonds led the Bulldogs with 15 points.
SOUTH CAROLINA 63,
TENNESSEE 61
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- South Carolina's Maik Kotsar swished four free throws in the final 21 seconds to deliver an improbable victory over Tennessee.
Trailing 60-59 with 75 seconds left, the Gamecocks (16-9, 8-4) were kicking themselves for their own mistakes. One of the nation's worst teams at fouling and shooting free throws was once again living up to its twin reputation, with 24 fouls and 13 misses from the line.
Yet, after Tennessee's Santiago Vescovi turned the ball over, and Jordan Bowden fouled Kotsar to prevent a fast break, the senior forward calmly swished two free throws for a one-point lead.
Tennessee's John Fulkerson was then called for a charge. Kotsar went back to the foul line and made a pair for a three-point lead.
Charleston native Josiah-Jordan James made his first, then intentionally threw his second shot into the rim. He came up with the rebound but his shot attempt fell short.
Fulkerson scored a career-high 25 points while Kotsar led the Gamecocks with 13.
Sports on 02/16/2020