A Wendell Green JR. steal which led to a go-ahead jumper from Allen Flanigan helped Auburn escape Cancun with its undefeated record intact.
The Auburn Tigers (6-0) narrowly defeated the Northwestern Wildcats (5-1) by an abnormally low score of 43-42 to secure their place as winners of the Cancun Challenge.
"The fact that we held Northwestern to 42 points tells you about our effort and our energy and our defense," Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. "That's got to carry us. Our bench struggled and our young guys struggled."
Auburn only had two players score more than 10 points. K.D. Johnson scored 12 and Jaylin Williams scored 11. Wendell Green JR. led the Tigers in assists with three and in rebounds with 10.
"K.D. I thought played really well," Pearl said. "Jaylin Williams made some big plays, some big stops, and some big rebounds."
Auburn shot 13/50 or 26% from the field and 5/21 or 23.8% from three-point range.
Chase Audige led Northwestern in points with 10. Boo Buie led them in assists with three. Robbie Beran led the Wildcats in rebounds with eight.
Jaylin Williams was named the MVP of the tournament. Additionally, he and Johni Broome were both named to the all-tournament team.
Auburn will be back in action this Sunday when they take on the St. Louis Billikens at home in Neville Arena. Tip-off is set for 2:00 P.M. central time. The game will be televised on the SEC Network.
