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A spirit that is not afraid

No.13 Auburn readily awaits Cancun Challenge

Auburn men's basketball takes on Texas Southern after a rough shooting performance earlier in the week. 

The Tigers’ offense was a lot more effective against Winthrop than South Florida or George Mason,  dominating the matchup 89-65, and adding to their winning streak, making it 3-0. 

Johni Broome led Auburn’s offense with 18 points, recording his 1,000th career point with a jumper. Wendell Green Jr. followed Broome’s lead with 16 points, making six shots from the floor with four 3-pointers. Five-star freshman Yohan Traore also had a breakout game with 11 points – making four free throws, one 3-pointer and three field goals. The young freshman Chance Westry made a strong first impression on the Jungle, ending the night with five points, two assists and two rebounds. 

“I was proud of him coming back from an injury because, you know, that’s a hard injury to dwell on. So, he’s just trying to get his legs back under him, get his confidence back, but it was good to see him out there,” said senior guard Zep Jasper. “I was pretty proud of the way he came back and the way he handled things as his first game.”

Although Auburn’s offense improved against Winthrop, the Tigers must continue to work on their shooting efficiency, especially from the three-point line. Auburn was 4-12 in the first half from deep compared to 5-11 in the second half against Winthrop. For field goals, the Tigers were 15-37 in the first, while they shot 19-36 in the second. 

“I know numbers and percentages are low right now, but as we speak, we’ve been in the gym 24/7. We got guys every day coming in shooting threes, making threes,” Jasper said. “I just want guys to continue to shoot threes and continue to have confidence. You know, don’t dwell that you miss one or two shots. Just keep shooting them.”

After suffering a hard loss against Houston, Texas Southern is hungry for a win. The last time the Tigers faced the Tigers was December 2020, and Auburn ended up beating Texas-Southern 80-63 after the other Tigers led till halftime. Jasper talked about how Texas-Southern’s veteran players will be a challenge for Auburn. He also mentioned the experience of the Tigers’ head coach Johnny Jones, who is familiar with the SEC after he coached LSU for five seasons. 

“These guys are gonna come in, ready to play hard. They have a team that we can’t take lightly,” Jasper said. “Because if you take a team lightly, that’s when you get beat, but I respect that coach, the players, and the way they handle things.”

With the Cancun Challenge quickly approaching, the Tigers are buzzing with anticipation. This is Auburn’s second appearance in the Cancun Challenge, the first being in 2016. As a veteran, Jaylin Williams has had three opportunities to compete abroad with the Tigers. He acknowledged that these experiences help the athletes in more ways than one. 

“It helps us get to know each other better. Just the experience of something is a dream for most of us because a lot of us came from not much,” Williams said. “So to be able to go somewhere for free and just experience these things and to have family come with us as well, it’s a dream come true.”

The Auburn Tigers look to conquer the Texas Southern Tigers in Neville Arena on Friday at 7 p.m. CST.


Caitlyn Griffin | Sports Writer

Caitlyn Griffin is a sophomore from Huntsville, Alabama, majoring in journalism. She started with The Plainsman in fall 2022. 

Twitter: @caitlyngrif99


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