Auburn basketball closed out its preseason play at Neville Arena on Friday night, defeating Florida Atlantic University 102-70 in an exhibition matchup.
The Tigers’ newcomers had a solid home debut, with four of them having double-digits performances. Georgia Tech transfer Miles Kelly led the way with 15 points, followed by freshman Jahki Howard with 14, freshman Tahaad Pettiford with 12 and Furman transfer JP Pegues with 11.
Kelly and Pegues each made three shots from behind-the-arc, followed by Pettiford and Howard with two apiece. Pettiford also displayed his playmaking skills with five assists, making a strong impression in his Neville Arena debut.
“They’re fun to play with, and I bet they’re fun to watch,” said Auburn center Johni Broome about the Tigers’ freshman. “They both are game changers, with how they guard and their shot making ability. So it's just fun watching them grow and learn.”
Broome contributed a solid performance of his own, scoring 15 points on 5-for-11 shooting from both the field and the free-throw line, highlighting the consistency of the veteran center.
Tahaad Pettiford pushes by FAU's defense during Auburn vs FAU on Nov 1, 2024.
Auburn took control of the matchup early, taking a quick 5-0 lead after a dunk from Denver Jones got the Tigers on the scoreboard just over thirty seconds into play.
FAU was able to tie things up at 13-13 in the first half, but a made 3-pointer from Howard put the Tigers back in front and sent them on a 23-1 run that put Auburn up 36-14 with just under five minutes to play in the first half.
At halftime, Auburn held a 49-28 advantage, fueled by six three-pointers and strong shooting across the board. The Tigers finished the half shooting 37.5% from beyond and 51.9% from the field (14-for-27). In its entire contest against Furman, Auburn made four 3-pointers and shot 42.9% from the field. The Tigers also grabbed 23 rebounds and seven steals in the first half.
“I thought we played harder tonight than we did on Sunday,” said Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl. “We are still fouling too much, and we’ve got to find a way to be aggressive without fouling.”
Auburn committed 24 total fouls, with 16 coming in the second half, allowing FAU 31 trips to the free throw line in the second half alone. Auburn only made it to the line ten times in the same period.
Dylan Cardwell possess the ball during Auburn vs FAU on Nov 1, 2024.
Despite the fouls, Auburn made strides in ball control, committing only one turnover in the second half compared to nine in the first. The Tigers also managed to hold FAU to just 13% shooting from three in the second half while making eight three-pointers themselves. Pegues led the way from behind-the-arc, hitting three threes in the second half, while Kelly and Ja’Heim Hudson each added two.
By the end of the night, seven Auburn players had recorded a 3-pointer, with five Tigers making multiple shots from deep.
Auburn officially kicks off its season on Wednesday, Nov. 6 at Neville Arena against Vermont. Tipoff is 7 p.m. CST and will be streamed on SEC Network+.
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Grace Heim is a senior from Enterprise, Alabama, majoring in Political Science. She started with The Plainsman in January of 2023.
You can follow her on X (Twitter) at @graceeheim
