As Auburn looks toward its second opponent of the season, bright spots still surround the basketball team after a tough loss to No. 20 Baylor on Tuesday. Next, Auburn will take on the Southeastern Louisiana Lions, who are located in Hammond, Louisiana.
This will be the fifth all-time meeting between the Tigers and the Lions, with Auburn winning its last meeting on New Years Eve in 2008 with a 77-65 victory.
Auburn's first matchup against the Baylor Bears had its fair shares of highs and lows. The Tiger offense was on point, but defense and turnovers were left to be desired. Auburn will look to bounce back this Friday.
The Tigers' leading scorer was freshman point guard Aden Holloway who was in his first game as a Tiger. Holloway had 19 points, with six assists as well. Center Johni Broome also did well for the Tigers, with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Broome also hit two 3-pointers.
The Tigers' opponent has already played a game and won that game. The Lions defeated Division II school Delta State 90-71. The Lions got out to a big first half lead, leading by 23 at the break, but the Statesmen outscored the Lions in the second half.
The Lions leading scorer was Roger McFarlane, who had 14 points, and five rebounds. The Lions had a total of six players score in double digits. Another noteworthy performance was Brody Rowbury, scoring 10 points and grabbing eight rebounds
The Lions were picked to finish first in the Southland Conference in the conference's preseason poll. Last season, Southeastern Louisiana's record was 18-14.
Auburn under head coach Bruce Pearl has dominated its nonconference schedule. With a record of 84-24, Pearl looks to add another victory against the Lions.
Auburn should look to get Holloway involved once again. His three-point shot has proved to be lethal as he made four against Baylor. Auburn will hope to have a great first home game for Holloway in Neville Arena.
The Tigers will also may look to limit their turnovers and stay out of foul trouble. Fouls hurt the Tigers against Baylor, having to rely heavily on their bench in a time where Baylor was getting hot from the field.
The Lions could look to get scoring early like they did against Delta State as they were up big at the half. But if the Lions are going to pull off the upset, they will need a better second half effort than they had against the Statesmen as they were outscored and allowed 46 points in the second half alone.
Auburn will take on Southeastern Louisiana at Neville Arena Friday, Nov. 10, at 7 p.m. CST. The game will be broadcasted on SEC Network+.
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TP is a senior from Montgomery, Alabama, majoring in journalism. He started with The Plainsman in fall 2022.
Twitter: @tp_hammock
