Mann, Florida handle Cooper-less Auburn 74-57

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Tre Mann scored 19 points — 16 in the first half — and grabbed 13 rebounds, and Florida overwhelmed Auburn 74-57 on Tuesday night.

Absent Sharife Cooper’s 20.2 points per game due to an injured ankle announced before tipoff, Auburn (11-13, 5-10 Southeastern Conference) missed 16 of 23 shot attempts in the first half and Florida led 44-22 at intermission.

Auburn's Jamal Johnson buried a 3-pointer 59 seconds in, but then Mann scored seven straight in a nine-point Gators' run and Florida (12-6, 8-5) was off to the races.

In a little more than the first 12 minutes, Mann was 6-of-8 shooting with a pair of 3-pointers, scored 14 points and collected five rebounds and Florida led 21-8.

Scottie Lewis scored 16 points and Tyree Appleby 11 for Florida.

Devan Cambridge scored 14 points for Auburn. Jaylin Williams added 11 points, and Jamal Johnson and JT Thor each scored 10.

Auburn leads the series 89-81, but Florida has won 13 of the last 15, including a 69-47 blowout victory on Jan. 18, 2020 when the Tigers came to the O’Dome ranked fourth in the country.

Florida travels to Lexington, Kentucky to face the Wildcats on Saturday. The Tigers host No. 25-ranked Tennessee on Saturday.

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