ATLANTA – K. D. Johnson and Wendell Green Jr. each scored 14 points but Memphis controlled the action close to the basket, handing No. 11 Auburn its first loss 82-73 Saturday at State Farm Arena.
"Memphis did a great job tonight," Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. "It's the first time that defense didn't carry the day for us. They were more ready to play than we were and that's on me."
Memphis outrebounded Auburn 43-32 and outscored AU 50-24 in the paint.
"We were bigger and we were stronger but they were much more experienced, much quicker and more athletic," Pearl said.
Chris Moore scored 12 points and Johni Broome added 11 points and a team-high six rebounds for Auburn.
Memphis guard Kendric Davis scored 27 points, grabbed nine rebounds and added six assists while playing 38 minutes.
Trailing by 15 with 6:37 to play, Auburn trimmed the deficit to eight and had possession after Johnson's steal, but the Tigers could get no closer.
Playing in his hometown, Johnson led Auburn with 10 first-half points, scoring in the paint to cap an 8-0 run that put the Tigers ahead 20-19.
"It was very special to come back home and play," Johnson said. "Unfortunately, we didn't get the W."
Moore's 3-pointer put Auburn on top 30-29 but Memphis outscored Auburn 9-2 the rest of the way to lead 38-32 at the half.
"We're going to go back home and look at our mistakes," said Moore, who was 2-for-2 from 3-point range and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. "We've got to have a short-term memory."
Memphis committed 13 turnovers in the first half to Auburn's eight, but the Tigers from Tennessee were more opportunistic after the takeaways, outscoring Auburn 13-7 in points off turnovers in the half and 19-11 in the game.
During a timeout after the 8-0 run, shouts of "Let's go, Auburn" echoed through the NBA venue, indicative of the Tigers' significant fan presence.
"I walked out and saw this crowd, I was like this is a Final Four crowd, an NCAA Tournament second round crowd," Memphis coach Penny Hardaway said. "It was all orange. They travel well with their fans and how passionate they are."
"It was a great atmosphere," Pearl said. "Our fans traveled. They did a great job."
Auburn struggled on the boards in the first half, getting outrebounded 25-11. Memphis grabbed nine offensive rebounds to Auburn's one, generating a 24-8 edge in points in the paint and 7-1 in second-chance points.
"We didn't have the same pop off the bench that we normally have," Pearl said. "We could've won the game scoring 73 points, but we can't win the game with Memphis scoring 82."
The Tigers (8-1) return to Neville Arena Wednesday at 7 p.m. CT to play Georgia State before embarking on a West Coast swing to Southern Cal and Washington leading up to SEC play.
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer
MEMPHIS POSTGAME NOTES>> For the seventh time this season, Auburn went with the starting five of Wendell Green Jr., Zep Jasper, Chris Moore, Jaylin Williams and Johni Broome (6-1).
>> Memphis picked up its first win in the three-game all-time series with Auburn. AU still leads 2-1 having previously won meetings between the two schools in 1953 and 2020.
>> Auburn's 8-0 start to the season tied the fifth-best start in program history next to an 8-0 start in 1962-63.
>> The Tigers, who lead the nation in blocked shots per game, had two stops against Memphis. It was AU's 62nd-straight game with a block.
>> K.D. Johnson has now scored in double figures in five of the last six games for the Tigers including a team-high tying 14 points versus Memphis. He has reached double figures in the first half in back-to-back games. It marked his 43rd career game to score in double digits.
>> Chris Moore reached double figures for the second time this season with 12 points against Memphis. It was the fourth double-figure game of his career.
>> Johni Broome extended his double-digit scoring streak to three games with 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field andsix rebounds versus Memphis. It marked his 61st game in double digits in 72 career games played.
>> Wendell Green Jr. tallied 14 points including a 8-for-9 from the charity stripe versus Memphis.