Cinmeon Bowers was back to his double-double ways on Friday night, but his points came from the unlikeliest of places.
Bowers picked up nine of his team-leading 15 points from the free throw line against Georgia Southern, as Auburn cruised to a 92-62 victory.
“I’ve really improved,” Bowers said. “I be in the gym every night shooting free throws.”
The hard work paid off.
Bowers shot a dismal 48 percent from the free throw line last season and was shooting 67 percent from the line through two games this season, but he was able to capitalize on his 13 trips to the line against the Eagles (1-2).
Bowers also led the team in rebounds with 13, recording his first double-double since Feb. 7 against Ole Miss.
“It was good to get our double-double guy back with Cim playing very effectively,” said head coach Bruce Pearl. “We did what we were supposed to do.”
Auburn (2-1) jumped out to a 10-point lead in the first half, but for the third time in as many games, the Tigers allowed a significant run near the end of the first half that eliminated their large lead. Georgia Southern went on a 15-4 run over 3:32 late in the first half, pulling to within one at the half.
“We’ve got to work on that,” Bowers said. “When we’ve got the lead, we’ve got to keep the lead. We’ve got to stop letting up.”
Auburn came out of the locker room firing, hitting 58 percent of its field goals after intermission.
The Eagles stayed with Auburn for the first five minutes of the second half, but Auburn reeled off a 13-2 run to gain separation it would not relinquish.
T.J. Dunans was a catalyst for the Tigers’ offense throughout, finishing tied for the team lead in points, assists, blocks and steals.
“[Dunans was] very engaged defensively,” Pearl said. “He was against UAB. He was a factor, and he knows he wasn’t against Colorado. I think he really came out, really accepted coaching. I thought he did a really good job this week accepting some of the challenges from Tuesday night.”
With the game in hand, true freshman Bryce Brown entered in the second half and knocked down three of four three-point attempts, scoring 11 points in only six minutes of action.
Brown is still trying to work his way into the regular rotation after suffering a back injury in practice before the Tigers’ exhibition game against Indianapolis, but Pearl said he will earn more minutes with performances like the one against Georgia Southern.
“Look what he did in the six minutes,” Pearl said. “He’s pretty good. … You could see what he was capable of.”
The Tigers will return to the hardwood next Friday when they host Northwestern State at 7:30 p.m., and Bowers will have a shot to notch his second double-double in a row after a 13-game drought.
“I just put everything in the past and just played my game,” Bowers said. “Just go with the flow. Don’t resist.”
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