Auburn, Alabama – The Auburn Tigers trailed for most of the game, before outlasting Furman at home, winning in overtime by a score of 81- 78. The Tigers had their worst outside shooting night of the season, shooting 4-of-25 from distance. Trailing 39-31 at the half Auburn fought back with 1:05 left in the second period, when Auburn senior PG J’Von McCormick (6-1) drove past his defender for the game tying layup.
Auburn would go on to score thirteen point in the overtime period, led by freshman sensation Isaac Okoro (6-6) with six points in overtime, while senior center Austin Wiley (6-11) added five points. Despite Auburn’s poor shooting night, the duo was a perfect 7-of-7 from the free throw line in overtime.
Okoro finished with 18 points and nine rebounds, but suffered from turnover issues, with six. He missed each of his three attempts from distance, but did record an 8-of-9 night from the charity strip. Leading scorer Samir Doughty was held in check most of the game, having only three points late into the second half, before finding success beating his man off the dribble to the basket. He finished with 13 points, but was held without a three-point field goal for the first time this season, shooting 0-for-7. Doughty also has six turnovers. Wiley finished with his third double-double of the season, recording 13 points and 12 rebounds. He finished 4-of-5 from the field and 5-of-7 from the free throw line, drawing eight fouls during the game. Furman did an excellent job of denying Auburn’s front court during the game, leading Auburn to 19 turnovers.
Furman was led by sophomore forward Noah Gurley (6-8) with 21 points and eight rebounds, before he fouled out in overtime. He showed ability to both handle on the perimeter as well as stretch the floor, shooting 2-for-4 from three-point range. Junior wing Clay Mounce (6-7) added 14 points and seven rebounds. He also had four steals, each an intercepted pass into the post intended for Auburn’s Wiley. Mounce finished 4-of-7 from the field and 3-of-4 from distance, displaying excellent help defense.
Auburn (8-0) will travel to Birmingham on Saturday December 14 to take on Saint Louis in the Mike Slive Invitational. Furman (7-3) heads home on to face South Carolina Upstate on December 8.
This article was written by Lee Busby, a correspondent and scout for NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.
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