The Auburn Tigers earned their first win of the 2023-24 season on Friday night by knocking off Southeastern Louisiana, 86-71, in front of a packed crowd at Neville Arena.
In a game where the Tigers and Lions were nearly even, it was free throws and rebounding that allowed Auburn to pull away. Both teams failed to shoot above 42% on the night, and both teams were worse than that from beyond the arc, but the Tigers made the most of their free throws by making 17-of-20 of their opportunities. Auburn sent five players to the stripe, with two were perfect and the other three just missed one shot each.
Rebounding was key, as the Tigers snagged 13 more balls off the glass than Southeastern Louisiana.
Taking a deeper dive into which players made a difference in the game, we start first with Johni Broome. Broome joined Chaney Johnson by hauling in 11 rebounds, and he led the team in scoring. KD Johnson, like Broome, was perfect from the free-throw line. All-in-all, there were four players who reached double-figures in the game, and three players secured at least six boards.
Which players made the biggest impact in Auburn’s win over Southeastern Louisiana? Here’s a look at who Taylor Jones, JD McCarthy, Brian Hauch, and Auburn fans selected as the Tiger of the Game.