After going on a four-game losing streak to close out the month of January, the Auburn Tigers have failed to find a rhythm since then, and have now been on the losing end of their last three contests.
After falling to Tennessee on the road on Jan. 31 and getting bested by Alabama at home on Saturday, Auburn (14-10, 5-6 SEC) fell 84-76 at the hands of the No. 16 Vanderbilt Commodores at home inside Neville Arena on Tuesday night.
The loss put the Tigers below .500 in conference play for the first time since they were victorious over Ole Miss on the road on Jan. 20.
Vanderbilt (20-4, 7-4 SEC) got the game started strong and was in complete control until Filip Jovic evenend the score with a jumper at the 8:07 mark of the first half. The Commodores responded immediately, and by the time halftime came around, the Tigers trailed by 11 points.
Auburn made a late push during the second half and managed to cut Vanderbilt’s lead as low as four points, but it failed to take complete control and the visitirs ended up coming out on top by eight points.
Tahaad Pettiford was Auburn’s top performer, as he lead the team in points and rebounds with 21 and 4, respectively. He shot 7-of-18 from the field and 6-of-7 from the free-throw line. KeShawn Murphy led the way for the Tigers on the glass, as he grabbed six rebounds.
Auburn had a decent night when it came to shooting the ball despite the outcome, even though it struggled at the free-throw line. The Tigers finished 24-of-60, 40%, from the field, 7-of-17, 41.2%, from 3-point range and 21-of-27, 77.8%, from the free-throw line.
Auburn returns to action on Saturday when it takes on the No. 21 Arkansas Razorbacks on the road at Bud Walton Arena. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. CT, and ESPN will carry the broadcast.
