Texas A&M rolls, Auburn loses by double digits for 4th-straight time

Bruce Pearl returns to Tennessee (Tennessee 71, Auburn 63)

Bruce Pearl coaches from the sideline during Auburn's 71-63 loss to Tennessee at Thompson-Boling Arena on Saturday, January 31, 2015 in Knoxville, Tenn. (Wade Rackley/Auburn Athletics)

Auburn ended a tough day off the court with another blowout loss on the hardwood Saturday night at Texas A&M.

The Aggies knocked off the Tigers 80-55 in College Station to hand the visitors their fourth-straight loss by double digits, a stretch that has been haunted by heartbreak and injuries.

Auburn (12-17, 4-12 SEC) entered the game without guard Antoine Mason, who stayed in New York with his family following the death of former NBA star Anthony Mason, his father and mentor.

"Definitely didn't have a lot of cards in that deck," Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said on the postgame radio broadcast. "What has to happen when you're a man down is guys have to be able to step up and unfortunately we just didn't get a lot of that."

Texas A&M (20-8, 11-5) led by 25 points after a 10-0 run led by Danuel House, who snapped out of an 0-for-9 slump beyond the arc to hit two 3-pointers. The Aggies' march to the NCAA Tournament continued, too, as the Tigers are left to wonder about next season after guaranteeing themselves a record below .500 in the regular season.

Auburn has lost its last three games by an average of 28 points. The Tigers have lost 10 of their last 12 games. The 25-point win for the Aggies is their largest in conference play since 2008.

"This is the lowest point that we've been in as far as the season is concerned," Pearl said. "The team has lost confidence. Obviously we played hard but we're not competing and there's a big difference. It's hard to compete and value possessions on both ends of the floor when you're not sure exactly what you're playing for and you're not sure what the outcome could be."

Auburn never led, and again struggled in the paint against the bigger Aggies, who pulled their starters with 2:55 remaining. The Aggies out-rebounded the Tigers by 14 and out-scored them 34-24 in the paint.

Four Texas A&M players scored in double digits. The Aggies were led by Jalen Jones' 19 points.

KT Harrell led Auburn with 18 points.

Auburn coaches wore black ribbons to honor Anthony Mason during the game. Texas A&M provided the ribbons to coaches. "So classy," Pearl said on the telecast of the game.

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