In Auburn’s first road test of the season, No. 21 Auburn earned a 58-52 victory over South Florida to remain undefeated. It is the fourth time in the last six seasons that Auburn has started 3-0.
The Tigers got the win despite falling behind 25-10 in the first half.
“Down 15 on the road, we come back and win it. It shows a lot of character,” said Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl.
The Tigers used a 15-0 run in the second half to turn a nine-point deficit into a six-point lead, which they did not relinquish.
Auburn outscored USF 32-19 in the second half, marking the third time the Tigers have outscored their opponent in the second half this season.
“That was a huge difference,” Pearl remarked on Auburn’s second-half defense.
The Tigers’ early deficit was largely due to uncharacteristic turnovers by Auburn. After turning the ball over a combined 16 times in its first two games, Auburn turned the ball over 14 times against the Bulls.
“The physicality obviously disrupted us tremendously on the offensive end,” Pearl said.
The Tigers were able to come back from the deficit, thanks to a stingy defense, especially around the rim. Walker Kessler, who came into the game averaging four blocks a game, added three more against USF. Kessler now has 11 blocks in three games this season.
“I thought our changing defenses bothered them, mixing the pressure and the man and we showed some possessions of zone,” Pearl said about Auburn’s defensive strategy.
Once again, the Auburn team was led by its newcomers. Forty-two of Auburn’s 58 points were scored by players in their first season at Auburn, highlighted by K.D. Johnson’s team-leading 15-point performance.
“I think you can continue to see that K.D. is important to us,” Pearl said. “K.D.’s got the ability to do things against the best teams and players on our schedule. He’s got that next level and we needed some of that tonight. He’s capable and he’s a dangerous man out there. He gets a lot of stuff done.”
Jabari Smith led the Tigers in rebounding and came up one point shy of his second double-double of the season.
“Jabari is such a talented player and such a great kid,” Pearl said. “He lets the game come to him. He’s not afraid of the moment.”
Another unsung hero that Pearl was quick to credit was Lior Berman.
“I thought Lior Berman had some really good moments there in the first half,” Pearl said. “He was physical. He gave us a huge spark. Lior Berman’s play at the end of the first half had a lot to do with us getting that thing turned around.”
The 58 points scored by the Tigers were the team’s fewest in a victory since Feb. 6, 2013, when the Tigers scored 49 points in a win over Alabama.
The Tigers will now head to the Bahamas to participate in the Battle 4 Atlantis. The Tigers’ tournament opener will be Wednesday, Nov. 24 against No. 23 Connecticut. The game will begin at 1:30 p.m. CST and will be nationally televised on ESPN.
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Matthew is a senior from Huntsville, Alabama, majoring in journalism. He started with The Plainsman in fall 2021.
Twitter: @mattwallaceAU
