Guards:
Mustapha Heron led all Auburn scorers with 21 points, 19 of which came in the second half for the Tigers. Heron hit two big threes and finished the game 7-12 from the field. The Tigers played well without starting guard Bryce Brown. Jared Harper controlled the flow of the offense very well. Harper shot only 1 of 5 from the field but finished the game with 5 points, 3 assists, and Harper also nabbed 1 steal. TJ Lang got the start in place of a suspended Bryce Brown, and finished the game with 11 points. Lang was an efficient 3-5 from beyond the arc. TJ Dunans had a huge game off the bench for Auburn. In 31 minutes of play, Dunans had 13 points and was 3-4 from the three point line. Dunans also provided the Tigers with the game winning shot with 1.4 seconds left. This last second shot was an off balance buzzer-beating three to put the Tigers up 76-74. Defensively the Tigers had their hands full guarding the Bears. Ria’n Holland put up 24 points for Mercer and he was the leading scorer in the game.
Final Grade: B-
Big Men:
The Tigers were out rebounded again, this time 41-26. This is the fourth time in the past five games that Auburn has lost the battle in that category. LaRon Smith got the start for Horace Spencer at the center position. Smith only played 11 minutes and finished the game with 6 points and 4 personal fouls. Prized 5-star prospect Austin Wiley made his debut for the Tigers after he gained early eligibility on Friday. Both of Wiley’s parents played basketball for the Tigers. Wiley only played 15 minutes in his debut, but the seventeen-year-old made his presence known. Wiley finished the game with 9 points, 3 rebounds and 2 blocks. Wiley’s 6-foot-11 size really helps the Tigers going forward. Wiley showed a lot of maturity in the spotlight and hit a go-ahead bucket with 45 seconds to go. Going forward, Pearl will now have 3 big men to rotate with good size and this addition is great for Auburn’s season. Danjel Purifoy did not have a third straight game with 27 points, instead the freshman finished with seven. Purifoy was the Tigers leading rebounder with 6, showing off his ability to bounce down low.
Final Grade: C+
Final Verdict: The Tigers were happy with Dunans game-winnng shot, however Auburn would have liked to not be in that kind of situation against Mercer. Auburn has a huge new piece of their team with Austin Wiley and a little more of an identity heading into the non-conference season enders. Auburn will also return suspended starters Bryce Brown and Horace Spencer for Wednesday's matchup. Bruce Pearl now has several new lineup options that will have formidable size. Auburn will play a very good Oklahoma team on Wednesday and then take on UCONN two days later. The 8-2 Tigers will look to fine tune their play before heading into conference play.
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