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National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Middle Tennessee St. 88, Auburn 81
When: 1:00 PM ET, Saturday, December 12, 2015
Where: Murphy Athletic Center, Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Officials: # John Hampton, # Keith Kimble, # Doug Simmons
Attendance: 7322

Junior forward Reggie Upshaw matched career highs with 21 points and 13 rebounds as Middle Tennessee blew a six-point lead in the final 1:28 before defeating Auburn 88-81 in overtime on Saturday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.

Guard Giddy Potts scored 18 points and forward Darnell Harris recorded 13 points -- six in overtime -- and nine rebounds for the Blue Raiders (6-2), who rallied from a nine-point halftime deficit.

Guard Edward Simpson scored 13 points and forward Perrin Bufford added 12 points and six rebounds as Middle Tennessee improved to 73-12 since the start of the 2011-12 season when scoring 60 or more points.

Guard Kareem Canty matched a career high with 28 points -- including the tying 3-pointer to force overtime with 1.7 seconds left -- for the Tigers (4-2), who had their three-game winning streak halted. Canty made four of his career-best eight 3-pointers in the final 1:55 of regulation.

Forward Cinmeon Bowers recorded a season-high 19 points and a career-best 19 rebounds while forward Tyler Harris added 14 points and a career-high 13 rebounds before fouling out with 2:40 remaining in overtime for Auburn.

Tyler Harris registered 12 points and nine rebounds in the first half and his tip-in at the buzzer gave the Tigers a 38-29 lead at the break. The Blue Raiders came out of the break with a 14-3 run -- capped by Darnell Harris' basket and highlighted by Simpson's two 3-pointers and Upshaw's six points.

Middle Tennessee increased its lead to 67-61 with 2:42 left on Upshaw's bucket off a lob pass from Potts. Canty scored Auburn's final 12 points of regulation.

Bowers' free throw gave the Tigers a 78-75 lead with 3:32 left in overtime before the Blue Raiders scored eight consecutive points -- capped by Buford's breakaway dunk on a pass from Potts.

After Kanty's layup cut the deficit to 83-81 with 1:02 remaining, Middle Tennessee went 5 for 6 from the free-throw line in the final 28 seconds with Darnell Harris going 4 for 4 as the Blue Raiders defeated Auburn for the first time in four tries.
Top Game Performances
 
Auburn   Middle Tennessee St.
Kareem Canty 28 Scoring Reggie Upshaw Jr. 21
Kareem Canty 7 Assists Reggie Upshaw Jr. 4
Cinmeon Bowers 19 Rebounds Reggie Upshaw Jr. 13
Cinmeon Bowers 7 Free Throws Made Giddy Potts 6
T.J. Dunans 3 Steals Reggie Upshaw Jr. 3
T.J. Dunans 1 Blocks Darnell Harris 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Auburn 81 40.0 10-26 11-24 12 46 2 5 14
Middle Tennessee St. 88 45.5 8-22 20-30 14 46 3 5 11