Returning to Neville Arena after a 26-day absence, Auburn used an offensive outburst to take down Queens, 106-65.
“Nowhere else in the country, in my opinion, is going to have that type of turnout this late,” Auburn coach Steven Pearl said of the crowd after a 9 p.m. tip. “So thankful for our fans to show up like that and support these guys. Ultimately, it led to a really impressive first half for us, and I thought that inspired our guys to lay everything on the line. I told our guys our fans deserve your best performance.”
Elyjah Freeman came off the bench to pour in a season-high 27 points – 20 in the second half – to lead the Tigers in scoring. The crafty left-handed forward was also perfect from beyond the arc with four triples.
“I felt like it was the best option for the entire team,” Freeman said of his recent sixth man role. “I’m not really a selfish kid. I know what I’m capable of, being able to come off the bench with a little bit of spark. Hopefully that’ll show Saturday.”
Three other Tigers reached double figures, as Kevin Overton turned in his second consecutive 20-plus-point game with 23, Keyshawn Hall notched 18 points, and Sebastian Williams-Adams tallied 10.
The Tigers posted 57 first-half points, the highest in the first stanza this season, en route to their second 100-plus-point outing this season. Additionally, they netted 15 3-pointers, marking a new season-high.
“Offensively, we shared the ball in the first half,” Pearl said. “The first half looked like Auburn basketball again, which was encouraging.”
Auburn held Queens, which ranked 26th nationally with 10.8 triples per game coming in, without a 3-pointer until the 7:30 mark in the second half. The Royals finished just 2-of-15 from deep, and only one player, Nasir Mann, notching double figures with 13 points.
“We did a good job of closing out and running people off the line,” Pearl said. “We did a good job of limiting them to one shot. Overall, a really good effort on their 3-pointers.”
Auburn (9-4) will head to Athens, Ga., to play No. 23 Georgia (12-1) at Stegemen Coliseum in the SEC opener Saturday at noon CT on SEC Network. TG
