Bruce Pearl and the Auburn men's basketball team earned their third win of the season tonight against Eastern Kentucky, extending their record to 3-0.
Auburn survived what was their worst 20 minutes of basketball this season in the first half, eventually pulling away to pull out a 85-64 win.
Five-star freshman guard, Mustapha Heron, led the way for the Tiger squad.
Heron, who entered the night averaging 10 points, exploded onto the scene and put up 24 points with 10 rebounds in only 23 minutes of action. The 6-foot-5 guard said he didn't realize that he was a perfect 6-for-6 from the field until he saw the box score after the game.
"I think the rebounding helped me tonight because my first play came off a rebound," Heron said. "I don't think we executed as well offensively but we did enough."
Auburn point guard Ronnie Johnson came off the bench and added 11 points and four steals in the first significant action he has seen this season. The graduate transfer also scored his 1,000 career point on a jumper midway through the second half.
“He scored his 1,000th point and helped us win a game tonight,” Pearl said. “He was just rock solid and his ability to get by people was significant. I also thought he helped us on the defensive end.”
The Colonels kept the contest close in the first half behind a big performance by guard Nick Mayo, but Heron and the Tigers pulled away with a 14-2 run in the second half. Aside from Mayo, the rest Eastern Kentucky squad was 15-53 from the field.
"I think the physicality difference tonight between the SEC and OVC tonight showed up," Pearl said.
The 3-0 Auburn squad will now head to Cancun, Mexico to resume the Cancun Challenge. The Tigers will face Texas Tech on Tuesday, and either Utah State or Purdue on Wednesday.
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.
