Freshman guard Justin Powell made his first collegiate start a memorable one and Auburn tied a Southeastern Conference single-game record for 3-pointers in a 90-81 victory over South Alabama Friday night in Auburn.
Playing their home opener after a disappointing loss at Central Florida four nights earlier, the Tigers (2-2) shot 55.6 percent from the field overall and 53.7 percent on 3-pointers (22 of 41). In leading from start to finish, they also dominated the boards, outrebounding the Jaguars 34-23.
Powell made 7 of 9 from 3-point range and 5 of 6 free-throws in his season-high scoring output.
Senior Michael Flowers scored a season-high 29 points to lead the Jaguars (3-2), who made more than half their field goal attempts (30 of 58) but couldn't match the Tigers from long range, making just 7 of 23 from 3-point land.
After trailing by 22 points on four occasions in the half and by 15 at the break, the Jaguars began to chip away at their deficit through the opening minutes of the second period to close to within 60-50 at the 12:48 mark.
They were within 63-52 with 11:22 remaining, but Jaylin Williams and Devan Cambridge hit consecutive 3-pointers to get it back to a 17-point game at 69-52. The Jaguars then trailed by double digits until the final minute when they crept to within nine points four times, including the final margin.
The Tigers needed just 10 attempts to match the seven 3-pointers they had in 34 attempts in their loss to UCF in their previous outing, hitting their first three while building a quick 16-2 lead in just a little over six minutes.
They continued to build on the early cushion, pulling out to a 40-18 advantage at the 4:08 mark of the first half, and still led by 22 points, 47-25, before the Jaguars began to get their feet under them.
Flowers scored the last seven points of the half to pull the Jaguars within 47-32 at the break.
--Field Level Media
