Jabari Smith had 23 points and 12 rebounds to lead No. 1 Auburn to an 86-68 home win over Oklahoma on Saturday in the Big 12/SEC Challenge.
Walker Kessler added a career-high 21 points to help the Tigers win their 17th consecutive game.
The Tigers tied the 1988-99 and 1958-59 teams for the longest winning streak during a single season in school history.
The win came a day after Auburn coach Bruce Pearl agreed to a new eight-year contract that runs through the 2029-30 season. The deal is worth $5.4 million per year.
Playing the first home game ever as a top-ranked team, the Tigers needed a strong finish to put the game away after a big early lead dwindled to three less than eight minutes into the second half.
A pair of offensive rebounds helped Devan Cambridge score five consecutive points to right the ship and kickstart a 17-5 run where Auburn (20-1) seized control for good.
Cambridge had four of Auburn’s 13 offensive rebounds in the win. The Tigers had 17 second-chance points and outscored the Sooners in the paint 38-24.
Kessler was 9 of 11 from the floor, making all seven of his shots inside the arc. He added nine rebounds and four blocks.
Senior Jordan Goldwire had a career-high 19 points to lead the Sooners (13-8). Goldwire also had four assists and three steals with one turnover.
Auburn looked like it was going to run away with the game early, building its lead to 15 late in the first half, as Oklahoma went more than nine minutes without a field goal at one point — missing nine consecutive shots.
But the Sooners stormed back in the second half, thanks in large part to Umoja Gibson.
Gibson scored 10 consecutive Sooners points during a 10-2 run that started a 17-6 Oklahoma run overall as Auburn’s lead dwindled to 50-47 with about 12 minutes remaining.
Gibson added 14 points and Tanner Groves 13 for the Sooners.
Oklahoma has lost six of their last eight.
The Sooners’ Marvin Johnson suffered a left ankle injury in the first half and didn’t return.
–Field Level Media
