Coming off a historic season that saw Auburn go to yet another NCAA Tournament, the Tigers returned to Neville Arena to play host to the University of Alabama-Huntsville in an exhibition game. When all said and done, the Tigers were too much for the Chargers, winning by a score of 87-69.
"Great preparation for us because they [UAH] run really good stuff. They've got really good shooters. Played a lot of 1-on-1 and didn't give a lot of help,” Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said.
Jaylin Williams made a statement for the Tigers, posting a team-high 16 points while going a perfect 100% from the field and free-throw line in only 12 minutes of action. Williams was a key factor off the bench for Auburn, he was the joint leader in +/- at +23, alongside K.D. Johnson.
“He looked great. He had a great flow to his game,” said Pearl. He went onto say that Williams looked “bouncy” and had “great pop.”
Possibly the most concerning part of the Tigers game came at the free-throw line. Auburn finished the game going 67.6% from the line off 13 shots, while only shooting an abysmal 46.2% in the first half.
Transfer Joni Broome went a team worst 1-5 from the line. Broome was out of practice for a couple days this week due to a “bum ankle” which affected his lift and mobility, according to Pearl.
The likes of Allen Flanigan and Tre Donaldson made their presence known from the bench scoring 23 of the 53 points from bench players.
Flanigan, who struggled during his junior campaign, shot 57% from the field while putting up 11 points. The senior showed off that his athleticism is still there even after suffering a torn achilleas last year by going coast-to-coast late in the game to finish off a dunk that would send roars throughout The Jungle.
"Al was so productive when he was out there... Man, that was a really, really good game for him,” Pearl said. "Al separated himself a little bit tonight."
Flanigan has been in and out of practice this year which has caused a big question mark at the small forward position. The senior has recently put together some of the best practices of his career, Pearl mentioned earlier this week.
"We've seen it before the rest of y'all in practice. We saw it coming,” Auburn guard Wendell Green Jr. said when asked about Flanigan’s night.
Guard Tre Donaldson showed out in his first appearance in an Auburn Tigers jersey. The freshman finished with 10 points and 7 rebounds when filling in for K.D. Johnson.
"I thought Tre was super solid. He's got good command of the offense... He don't play like a freshman. He don't act like a freshman,” Pearl had to say on the standout performance from Donaldson.
Auburn will try and ride the momentum into the season opener against the George Mason Patriots at 7 p.m. CT. inside Neville Arena this Monday night. The matchup will be broadcasted on SECN+ and ESPN+.
