GREENVILLE, S.C. – Jacksonville State ran into an Auburn squad playing like the team that held the No. 1 ranking at times during the 2021-22 regular season and fell to the second-seeded Tigers 80-61 on Friday at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in the Midwest Regional.
The Gamecocks (21-11), making their second NCAA Tournament appearance, got 20 points from Jalen Gibbs and 17 from Jalen Finch, but the Tigers' size and depth proved to be too much to overcome as the ASUN conference champions saw their season end.
JSU led 24-22 with 5:39 remaining in the first half following a layup and free throw by Gibbs.
Gibbs' basket was JSU's last of the half as Auburn closed on a 17-3 run, scoring the last 11 points before intermission via three-pointers from K.D. Johnson and Jaylin Williams and a pair of buckets and free throw from 7-foot-1 All-American center Walker Kessler.
"That run at the end of the first half and at the start of the second half was just a lot to overcome," said Jacksonville State coach Ray Harper. "I'm really proud of the way our guys that they competed until the final horn.
"Until that 3:47 at the end of the half," Harper said, "I liked where we were and how we were playing."
"I want to congratulate Jacksonville State and Coach Ray Harper from the great state of Alabama for an outstanding season," said Auburn coach Bruce Pearl. "They're extremely well-coached. They were prepared and you could see how dangerous a team they are because of the way they can shoot it."
Auburn (28-5) advances to play the Miami-USC winner in Sunday's second round.
The opening half featured six lead changes as Jacksonville State sank five three-pointers and committed just five turnovers against Auburn's pressure. JSU's largest lead of the afternoon, 17-11, came on a Gibbs' three-pointer at the 11:36 mark.
Auburn outscored the Gamecocks 12-2 to begin the second half and stretched its lead to 51-29 with 16:52 remaining. Jacksonville clawed back to within 12, 67-55, with just under seven minutes to go, but the Gamecocks never got closer.
Brandon Huffman added contributed nine points and a team-high seven rebounds for JSU.
"I knew coming in we had to shoot the ball well from three," said Gibbs. "We were in it in the first half, but … that run messed us up. I knew coming in if we shot the ball well we'd have a chance to come out with the win.
"That didn't happen, but it was a fun run."
"Ray and I had the two best jobs in Division II basketball at Kentucky Wesleyan and Southern Indiana," said Pearl, who defeated his longtime nemesis for only the fourth time in 17 head-to-head meetings.
"We have great respect for each other. Because I have so much respect for Coach Harper, I'm very satisfied with the way that we played."
Freshman All-American forward Jabari Smith led the Tigers with 20 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. Kessler added 13 points and 10 rebounds as Auburn held a 50-32 advantage on the boards.
"I told Bruce to enjoy them for the next three weeks because he won't see them again unless he goes to an NBA game," Harper said.
The end of the road in this year's tournament also signals the end of the JSU playing career of storied seniors Adams, Huffman, Gibbs and Kayne Henry. The quartet was an experienced one with 346 collegiate starts among them including their previous schools. This season, the veteran core accounted for 1,411 of JSU's 2,372 total points this season.
