The Auburn Tigers were unable to hold off the No. 12 Arizona Wildcats, falling at home 80-69 to snap a 69-game winning streak against non-conference opponents at the Neville Arena.

Despite several comebacks to level the score against the Wildcats, Auburn couldn’t hold on at the end of the game, being outscored 19-8 in the final 6:20 of the game to end up with its first loss of the season. There was plenty that head coach Steven Pearl will look to assess following Friday’s contest. 

The Tigers were outrebounded 49-37 in the loss by the Wildcats, with only forward Thomas Dowd and center Narcisse Ngoy recording more than eight rebounds in the loss. Otherwise, Auburn struggled on the glass. 

Despite trading shots throughout the first 15 minutes, Arizona began to pull away in the final quarter of the first half, going into the tunnel with a four-point deficit. Auburn got significant help from Ngoy, who recorded six blocks in the first half and had a strong battle with standout Wildcat center Montejus Krivas. 

After the second half, Pearl’s group responded after an early onslaught. Arizona opened up on a 10-0 run to get a lead as much as 14, but the Tigers responded with a 21-7 run to tie the game at 53 at the 10:47 mark in the second half. 

However, that’s as close as the Tigers would get over the course of this game. 

Arizona’s trio of guard Caleb Holt, Krivas and forward Ivan Kharchenov combined for 59 points for the Wildcats on Friday night. Auburn didn’t have an answer for them throughout the contest, with each player recording over 15 points and eight rebounds to snap Auburn’s home non-confernece win streak that dates back to 2016. 

On the flip side, Dowd lead the way for the Tigers with 15 points and nine rebounds, hitting four three-pointers in the loss. South Alabama wing Adam Olsen added 12 points and three three-pointers, being a key piece off the bench for Auburn. 

However, Auburn will need more from its backcourt moving forward if it wants to win more of these high-stakes games. Guard Tahaad Pettiford had only nine points, while Kevin Overton only added five points of his own. Vanderbilt transfer George Kimble III had a team-high seven points for the backcourt in the loss.

Now, Auburn heads to Las Vegas to take part in the Players Era 8 tournament to help kick off Feast Week. Tipoff is set for 11 p.m. central time, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.