In a game where Auburn struggled defensively, they could lean on freshman guard Mustapha Heron to provide offensive sparks that lead the Tigers to victory.
The Auburn men's basketball team earned their fifth victory of the season on Tuesday night in Auburn Arena against USC Upstate. The Tigers lead by as much as 18 in the first half, but were out rebounded by the Spartans which kept the contest too close for comfort throughout the second half.
Auburn headed into the locker room at halftime up 10, but they returned in the second half to reply on Heron when the score got tight. The freshman five-star scored a game high 23 points for the Tigers.
"Mustapha Heron continues to play very solidly and play very effective offensively," Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. "We got to keep building around him."
Graduate transfer standout Laron Smith also provided points for Pearl when Auburn needed them. The Bethune-Cookman transfer came off the bench for Auburn and scored 15 points and five rebounds in 21 minutes. The 6-foot-8 forward would have trouble on the other end of the floor with Spartan big man Michael Buchanan. The 7 foot 285-pound Spartan center checked in early in the first half and gave the Tiger big men fits. Buchanan scored 20 points and added 15 rebounds for USC Upstate.
Though it was close at times, Auburn never gave up the lead despite a less than stellar shooting performance from the field and behind the arc.
"I'm happy with being 5-1 after six games but I'm not happy with our overall play," Pearl said. "We're not playing well together as I want to. I thought Upstate played a little harder and better than we did tonight. We did not play with effort and energy on the defensive end."
Auburn will travel to Birmingham this Saturday to take on in-state rival UAB. Tip off is set for 7:30 p.m. CST in Bartow Arena.
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