AU HOOPS: Robertson, Tigers get past UT Martin

Quantez Robertson ended his best game of the season with a bang.

Actually, it was an oop.

DeWayne Reed lofted a pass high up over the left side of the rim and Robertson finished it.

It was the final blow to end UT Martin’s scrappy performance Wednesday night, as the top-seeded Tigers move on in the NIT after an 87-82, first-round in front
of 4,008 at Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum.

Auburn (23-11) will host Tulsa at 7 p.m. Friday night in the second round of the 32-team tournament.

Robertson’s alley-oop with 1:03 to play was the dagger for the Tigers, but just in case, the senior added two more free throws with 7.3 seconds left for good measure to finish with 19 points — a career-high.

“He made some key shots for us,” AU head coach Jeff Lebo said. “He played like a senior’s supposed to play in a postseason game.”

And he did all that while guarding the nation’s second-leading scorer in Lester Hudson. The UT Martin senior guard came into Wednesday night’s game averaging 27.3 points per game.

Wednesday, Hudson scored 33, while shooting 50 percent from the field and grabbing 12 rebounds.

And Robertson was right there for all of it.

“Thirty-six minutes of chasing Lester around,” Lebo smirked. “I wouldn’t want that. That was as good as I’ve seen in a while — a long time.”

Hudson broke the Ohio Valley Conference’s single-season scoring record with his performance against Auburn to finish the season with 880 points. Lester ended his UTM career 2 points shy of the school’s all-time record of 1,729, and he was only at UT Martin for two seasons.

“He’s just special,” Lebo said of Hudson. “He doesn’t just score, he can pass. His IQ is very high. He was really good tonight. Just kept them in the game the way he played.”

But Robertson kept Auburn ahead the way he played, only missing two shots from the field and making all five of his free throws — something he’s struggled with all season.

“The scouting report said that (Robertson) was a straight driver,” Hudson said. “Then he jumped up and made some 3s. We were like ‘dang.’ … Coach was like ‘You boys are going to have to get up now.’”

Another player the Skyhawks (22-10) had to “get up” to guard was junior point guard DeWayne Reed, who also scored a career-high Wednesday with 23 points. Reed was 5-for-10 from the 3-point arc.

As a team, Auburn shot 48.3 percent from 3 — two percent better than the Tigers shot from the field (45.6 percent).

“If Auburn can shoot the ball that well from behind the arc on a consistent basis, I think you guys will be in for a trip to New York,” UTM head coach Bret Campbell told Auburn media after the game.

To get to New York and the NIT Final Four, Auburn will have to win two more games — both of which will be played at Beard-Eaves.

After being left out of the NCAA Tournament, Lebo said his team’s focus is now on winning the NIT — the program’s first postseason tournament since 2003.

“The kids practiced their tails off on Monday and didn’t say a word about (the NCAA Tournament),” Lebo said. “They came out and practiced their tails off Tuesday.

“They’ve handled adversity, handled pressure … handled disappointment. I’m just proud of them. It’s been a heck of a ride.”

Korvotney Barber and Frankie Sullivan added 10 points apiece for the Tigers, while UTM’s Benzor Simmons and Reuben Clatyon added 12 points each in the loss.

Tickets for Friday night’s game are available online (www.auburntigers.com) and at the AU ticket office from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Scholarship donors and courtside club members need to order their tickets by 5 p.m. today to ensure their priority seating.

Tickets will go on sale at 8 a.m. today over the phone. Reserved seats are $15, general admission is $10 and student tickets are $5.

mszvetitz@oanow.com | 737-2513

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