The Auburn Tigers (5-2) fell 69-64 at the hands of the Appalachian State Mountaineers (6-2) on Sunday afternoon at Holmes Convocation Center in Boone, North Carolina.
Auburn got off to a fast start, but a 10-0 run by App. State in the first half put the Mountaineers in front, and the Tigers were never able to retake control.
What are the most important things to take away from the game?
3-point shooting was horrendous
Auburn shot 3-27 or 11.1% from 3-point range.
Two of the made 3-pointers came from Tre Donaldson, the other came from Chad Baker-Mazara. The remainder of the team went a combined 0-24 from beyond the arch.
Three-point shooting does not necessarily need to be a strength for this team to compete, but performances like this cannot be a regular thing.
Johni Broome put together another stellar performance
Auburn had yet another big day from Johni Broome.
The 6-foot-10 forward recorded another double-double with 21 points and 13 rebounds and led the Tigers significantly in both categories. Additionally, Broome went 10-16 from the field, had one assist and blocked two shots.
Apart from going 1-7 at the free-throw line, Broome had a day to be satisfied with.
Auburn could not convert on second chances
Auburn grabbed 20 offensive rebounds but finished the game with only 15 second-chance points.
Auburn needs to figure out how to take advantage of those opportunities.
Bench production was high
Pearl has talked about how deep this team is. That was proven on Sunday as Auburn finished with 27 bench points.
There is not a lot of drop-off when the starters come out which is both good and bad, according to Pearl.
Auburn will be back in action on Saturday against the Indiana Hoosiers at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. CT, and ESPN2 will carry the broadcast.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email daniel.locke@1819news.com.
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