Auburn, AL (EETV) -- Tonight, 14th ranked Auburn looked to remain undefeated as they met Furman in the Auburn Arena for the first time since November 18.
Furman struck first after Auburn missed their first two shots. At the end of the first, Auburn made only 12 of their 24 shots, including being 1 for 9 behind the arc. Furman had a 39-31 lead after the first 20 minutes of play time.
Coming out of the locker room, Furman’s Jordan Lyons hit a three-pointer to give his team an 11 point lead. Throughout the game, the game deemed to come down to turnovers and rebounds. Austin Wiley led the Tigers in rebounds with 12, as well as shooting 4-5 field goals. Coach Bruce Pearl, in a press conference, said “(the team) did a lousy job of passing the ball. Austin Wiley should’ve had more than 5 shots.”
Many big plays came from Auburn’s starters, including big FT’s by C Austin Wiley. However, Pearl isn’t satisfied with his team’s lack of ball movement. “We need to see more from our bench. It’s the biggest room for growth.”
Auburn’s biggest lead of the game would be held only to 6, while Furman jumped up 14 in the 2nd half. With the win, the Tigers stay undefeated this season, the first time being 8-0 since 1998, where they only lost 4 games. Pearl says, “Nobody wants to play Furman. They beat Villanova last year and lost to Tennessee by 5. We are very fortunate at being undefeated.”
Auburn’s next challenge will be against Saint Louis in Birmingham, Ala. for the Mike Slive Invitational. This game can be seen at 3 p.m CT on ESPN2.
