Auburn Hosts a Block Party at Neville Arena in Home Opener

Coach Steven Pearl has hit the ground running in his second season, leading Auburn to a blowout victory over Southeastern Louisiana on Wednesday night. After trading blows during the first several minutes, the Tigers took off and never looked back.

Tahaad Pettiford struggled early, shooting 1-for-10 before scoring the final 11 points of the half, capped by a half-court bank-shot buzzer-beater.

Pettiford was one of five Tigers to score in double figures, leading the team with 18 points. Kolby King, Kevin Overton, Narcisse Ngoy, and George Kimble III each posted at least 10 points. Auburn hadn't scored 92 points in regulation since its February matchup against Alabama earlier this year.

There isn't a ton to take away from a game you're supposed to win by 30, but Auburn certainly looked more comfortable in its home opener than it did this time last year. The Tigers needed overtime to get past Bethune-Cookman in their first game at Neville Arena last season.

Air Traffic Control

The Tigers' 7-footers, Bukky Oboye and Narcisse Ngoy, showed out at Neville Arena with a combined seven blocks, five from Oboye and two from Ngoy. Even more impressive, Oboye had already recorded all five of his blocks with 16 minutes remaining in the second half.

Ngoy had a game-high nine rebounds and 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting. Oboye added four points and three rebounds.

While both bigs played well, it's a crime to lose the offensive rebounding battle in this matchup, 18-17. Auburn sorely missed having this kind of size last year, and the bigs' conditioning will be critical once conference play rolls around.

Bench Production

"A lot of positive contributions when two of our best players didn't have their best nights. That's why you have depth."

Coach Pearl commended the reserves tonight after the bench put up 36 points. George Kimble III and Kolby King both scored in double figures coming off the bench.

King was a massive bright spot in his Auburn debut, putting together an incredibly efficient performance in just 15 minutes. King finished at plus-24 with 12 points while shooting 3-for-4 from the floor, including two threes, and grabbing a sneaky seven rebounds.

Creighton transfer Owen Freeman also made his Auburn debut, finishing with seven points, six rebounds, and a plus-11 in 12 minutes.

“It was great to have Owen back out there. He brings a different dimension physically,” Pearl said. “It was great to see him make a layup and be active on the offensive glass. He brings a different level of physicality for us which we need. He’s such a great kid and I enjoy being around him every day. He wants to win, wants to get better and do the right thing for his teammates. Those are the types of guys you can roll with.”

Coach Pearl on Owen Freeman's debut

Looking Ahead

It's no secret that Auburn's non-conference schedule is lighter this year. Arizona is rapidly approaching, but before then, the Tigers face off against Appalachian State next Monday, Nov. 9, at Neville Arena.

With personnel issues beginning to sort themselves out and team chemistry continuing to improve, Auburn has plenty of reasons to feel good about where things are headed. It's still early, but your Auburn Tigers appear to be building some positive momentum.

Player and Team Stats

STARTERS

Thomas Dowd #5
27 MIN | 9 PTS | 6 REB | 1 AST | 2 BLK
FG: 3-4 | 3PT: 2-3 | FT: 1-1

Narcisse Ngoy #94
19 MIN | 10 PTS | 9 REB | 0 AST | 2 BLK
FG: 4-6 | 3PT: 0-0 | FT: 2-5

Caleb Williams #2
19 MIN | 7 PTS | 2 REB | 3 AST | 0 BLK
FG: 3-5 | 3PT: 1-2 | FT: 0-0

Kevin Overton #1
23 MIN | 12 PTS | 2 REB | 2 AST | 0 BLK
FG: 4-5 | 3PT: 4-5 | FT: 0-0

Tahaad Pettiford #0
22 MIN | 18 PTS | 2 REB | 4 AST | 0 BLK
FG: 6-19 | 3PT: 1-6 | FT: 5-6

BENCH

Adam Olsen #24
21 MIN | 3 PTS | 3 REB | 1 AST | 1 BLK
FG: 1-5 | 3PT: 1-4 | FT: 0-0

Bukky Oboye #12
20 MIN | 4 PTS | 3 REB | 0 AST | 5 BLK
FG: 2-2 | 3PT: 0-0 | FT: 0-1

George Kimble III #3
16 MIN | 10 PTS | 1 REB | 2 AST | 0 BLK
FG: 3-6 | 3PT: 0-2 | FT: 4-7

Kolby King #4
15 MIN | 12 PTS | 7 REB | 1 AST | 0 BLK
FG: 3-4 | 3PT: 2-3 | FT: 4-6

Owen Freeman #8
12 MIN | 7 PTS | 6 REB | 0 AST | 1 BLK
FG: 3-5 | 3PT: 1-1 | FT: 0-1

Drake Cardwell #7
2 MIN | 0 PTS | 1 REB | 0 AST | 0 BLK
FG: 0-0 | 3PT: 0-0 | FT: 0-0

Simon Walker #10
2 MIN | 0 PTS | 1 REB | 1 AST | 0 BLK
FG: 0-1 | 3PT: 0-0 | FT: 0-0

Jeremiah Bowman #20
1 MIN | 0 PTS | 0 REB | 0 AST | 0 BLK
FG: 0-0 | 3PT: 0-0 | FT: 0-0

Blake Muschalek #21
1 MIN | 0 PTS | 0 REB | 0 AST | 0 BLK
FG: 0-1 | 3PT: 0-0 | FT: 0-0

TEAM TOTALS

92 PTS | 50 REB | 15 AST | 11 BLK

FG: 32-63 (51%) | 3PT: 12-26 (46%) | FT: 16-27 (59%)

OREB: 17 | DREB: 33 | TO: 14 | STL: 10 | PF: 18

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