Auburn earned its second win of the Steven Pearl era, this time in more dominant fashion. The Tigers won 95-57 with outstanding defense and versatile scoring.
The Tigers were once again led on the offensive front by transfer forward Keyshawn Hall, who totaled 25 points and 14 rebounds. Hall and the other Tigers outsized Merrimack from the start and used their size advantage to outrebound the Warriors 55-24 — the first time in program history Auburn has held a 30-rebound margin. Those boards led to an impressive 42 points in the paint compared to Merrimack’s 14.
In the absence of Keshawn Murphy, center Emeka Opurum saw his first action in a Tigers uniform, contributing a solid first half with seven points and four rebounds to help Auburn build a 17-point halftime lead that it carried through the end of the night.
“I mean, offensively, that zone, you know, was obviously, really good for him,” head coach Stephen Pearl said about Opurum stepping up, “because he is so big, so tall, they didn’t have any size though.”
Standout freshman Sebastian Williams-Adams didn’t slow down after his debut on the Plains last week, when he posted 15 points and six rebounds in the opener. He followed it up with 14 points, five rebounds and a career-high five assists. Williams-Adams’ only setback came with foul trouble, as he picked up a few early and finished with four.
“You know obviously he’s a winner,” said coach Pearl on the freshman, “And you know, He’s just, I think, represents Auburn so well and you know he’s got a lot of Dylan Cardwell in him in that regard. And yeah, he’s just, you feel like he’s a junior or senior out there.”
The Tigers again struggled with foul trouble, as Kevin Overton fouled out late in the game while Sebastian Williams-Adams and Elyjah Freeman each finished with four. Auburn ended the night with 20 total fouls.
Stephen Pearl’s Auburn team continued its strong free-throw shooting from the opener, getting to the line 37 times and scoring 27 points from free throws. As expected, Auburn’s leading scorer, Hall, also led the way at the line with 12 points.
“So, I’m trying to get fouled,” Hall said referencing his ability to get to the line, “and I’m trying to throw my body around, trying to go get into somebody. So that’s how I make my living.”
Auburn spread the ball around nicely throughout the night, with nine players scoring and five finishing in double figures. Nine Tigers recorded at least one rebound, and seven grabbed four or more.
The Tigers look to continue their winning ways next Monday when they return to Neville Arena to face the Wofford Terriers. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CST for their third game under Stephen Pearl.
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Reid is a sophomore majoring in accounting. He joined the Plainsman in the fall of 2024.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @ReidFarris2
