Seniors center Rob Chubb and guard Frankie Sullivan lead a second half charge to rally from a halftime deficit as the Auburn men's basketball team defeated the IPFW Mastodons 61-50 in the Tigers' 2012-2013 season opener Friday, Nov. 9.
Sullivan lead the Tigers with 26 points and 4 rebounds and was the catalyst of Auburn's 19-8 run to finish the game.
The Tigers went into halftime trailing 23-27 due to poor team shooting and several turnovers in the first half. The Tigers came out in the second half and shot 48 percent from the field and converted 14-21 from free throws to pull away and start their regular season 1-0.
Auburn had trouble stopping IPFW senior guard Frank Gaines, who scored 32 points but managed to open the season with a win.
Barbee addressed the team's identity moving forward and what aspects will make them a better team as the season progresses.
"Our identity is always going to be how tough we are and how good we are defensively," Barbee said. "We've got to become a better rebounding team, even though we out-rebounded them by seven--we have to be a better defensive rebounding team. There were a lot of defensive rebounds to be had."
Auburn's young players struggled in the first regular season game of their careers and saw limited minutes as a result.
Coach Barbee addressed what the young players need to do in order to step up and how they need to rely on the veterans to carry the team until the young guys are up to speed.
"We all know how good these new guys are, but exhibition games and actual games at this level when it counts are a lot different," Barbee said. "These veterans--it's why you have veterans. They are expected to carry the load until these new guys come on and catch up with everything we're trying to get accomplished. This season is a marathon not a sprint."
The veterans certainly carried the load for the Tigers with Sullivan and Chubb rallying the team on both ends of the court.
Sullivan had several big moments in the game, the first came in the way of a 3-pointer that tied the game at 42-42 with 10:04 remaining in the game.
Sullivan got the Auburn fans and student section on their feet with a put-back dunk to give the Tigers a 55-46 lead with 1:22 remaining in the game.
After the game, Sullivan talked about his knee surgery and how he felt rejuvenated in Friday night's opener.
"I haven't felt like that in a long time," said Frankie Sullivan. "It makes me want to go to work right now and get back in the gym and get more shots up. Once you've felt that good and see you've got your old self back and what I went through with the knee surgery two years ago, it's a just a blessing."
Auburn converted 11 second-chance points thanks in large part to the rebounding of Chubb. Chubb added a double-double, producing 10 points and a team-high 15 rebounds. Chubb said aspects of his game have changed since last season, and his overall game has improved.
"The extra weight I've put on over the summer, and the agility stuff we've been doing in the weight room has helped a lot with rebounding," Chubb said. "One thing I've always focused on up until this year is offense. If my offense wasn't going, I didn't have much going on. My shot wasn't falling so the only way I could help my team was catching every rebound I could."
Auburn junior guard Allen Payne added 12 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals, and 3 assists and played a team-high 37 minutes.
The Auburn men play Murray State on Thursday at 7 pm in the Charleston (S.C.) Classic first round. The game will be televised on ESPN3.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
