Auburn basketball picked up where Walker Kessler left off last season.
The Tigers played a stellar defensive game in Monday’s season opener, as they roll to a 70-52 win over George Mason at Neville Arena in Auburn.
As a team, Auburn turned 19 turnovers into 21 points while recording 14 steals and 10 blocks. Junior center [autotag]Dylan Cardwell[/autotag] led the defensive charge by pulling down nine boards and blocking five shots.
As well as the Tigers played on defense, the offense came out a little rusty. Auburn shot 34% from the field, with only one player shooting over 50% from the floor. Three players reached double figures in the game, with Wendell Green Jr. leading the way with 16 points.
Auburn grabbed control early in the game by starting the game on a 7-0 run. Morehead State transfer [autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag] set the tone by scoring the game’s first four points. [autotag]Chris Moore[/autotag] would go on to score the next three points with a jumper and a free throw.
Auburn led by as many as 18 points in the first half before George Mason used a 13-2 run over the final 3:31 to close the Auburn lead to 31-24. [autotag]K.D. Johnson[/autotag], who was Auburn’s sixth man off of the bench in the game, ended the half with eight points, two assists, and two steals in 12 minutes of first-half action.
Out of the locker room, George Mason’s Josh Oduro nailed a free throw to trim the Auburn lead to 31-25 with 18:58 remaining in regulation. The Tigers jumped back to a double-digit lead with 17:17 remaining in the game thanks to a jumper by Moore to give Auburn the 38-27 lead. The Auburn lead would only dip below ten points just twice more in the second half, and the Tigers would lead by as many as 20 in the final 2:09 of game time.
Next up for Auburn is a date with South Florida. The Tigers and the Bulls will meet Friday at Neville Arena. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. CT. Last season, Auburn defeated South Florida, 58-52, behind K.D. Johnson’s 15 points and [autotag]Jabari Smith[/autotag]’s 10 rebounds.
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