Auburn basketball bounced back from its loss at Missouri, knocking off South Carolina 71-67 Saturday night inside Neville Arena. Filip Jovic exploded for a season-high 23 points off the bench to lead the entire game in scoring. With the victory, Auburn improves to 11-7 overall and 2-3 in SEC games.
Auburn will travel to Ole Miss and Florida before its next home game against Texas at the end of the month.
Here are three takeaways from the Tigers’ victory over South Carolina:
### Filip Jovic Provides First-Half Boost for Auburn
Auburn started the game with a slow shooting stretch, missing seven shots in a row after its first made field goal. Jovic came off the bench and connected on four straight baskets, giving the Tigers a much-needed spark on offense. He led the half with 13 points while missing only two shots from the floor.
As a team, Auburn shot just 33% from the floor in the first half, hitting only 10 shots. Tahaad Pettiford contributed nine points in the first 20 minutes but managed just one made 3-pointer. Both teams combined for only three made shots from beyond the arc in the half.
### Keyshawn Hall’s Foul Trouble Offset by Auburn’s Free Throws
Since earning the Dick Vitale Player of the Week award after his performance against Arkansas, Keyshawn Hall has struggled to find his shooting touch in the Tigers’ last two games. Hall finished with just eight points and was plagued by foul trouble for much of the game.
However, Auburn’s strong performance at the free-throw line—hitting 77% overall—helped maintain its lead over the Gamecocks. With Hall spending significant time on the sidelines, Auburn leaned on Jovic and Sebastian Williams-Adams, who combined for 34 points and 14 rebounds in the frontcourt.
Auburn also dominated inside, outscoring South Carolina 42-26 in points in the paint.
### Auburn’s Defense Completely Annihilates South Carolina
Offensively, the Gamecocks couldn’t find a rhythm, shooting just 40% from the floor as a team. Despite finishing the game with seven made 3-pointers, South Carolina had only four players reach double-digit scoring totals.
Auburn forced 15 turnovers and recorded 10 steals. The Tigers also added eight blocks to their defensive statistics.
Meechie Johnson led South Carolina with 17 points but missed 11 shots from the floor. Kobe Knox and Mike Sharavjamts combined for 25 points for the Gamecocks. However, the offensive struggles late in the second half prevented South Carolina from overcoming Auburn’s strong defensive performance.
With this win, Auburn holds momentum as they prepare for upcoming road games against Ole Miss and Florida.
https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2026/01/filip-jovics-career-day-leads-auburn-over-south-carolina-takeaways-from-neville-arena.html