Knox leads six Tigers in double figures

Brendon Knox notched his first career double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds while Auburn reached season-highs in points, 3-point field goals made and 3-point field goal percentage in a 95-75 win over Georgia Southern in Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum on Saturday.

Auburn (8-6) shot 54.2 percent from 3-point range, making 13-of-24, as six Tigers placed in double figures. DeWayne Reed added 16 points and 6 assists, Frankie Sullivan 15 points on 4-of-5 3-pointers, Lucas Hargrove 14 points, Tay Waller 13 points and freshman Andre Malone a career-high 11 points on 3-of-3 treys.

"I thought we finally shot the ball pretty well from the perimeter," said Auburn head coach Jeff Lebo. "That certainly opened up some things for us. We were very balanced offensively. Lucas established himself inside. So did Brendon Knox.

"We've been waiting on that kind of consistency from the perimeter. We turned it over a little too much at the end with our subs in, but overall I thought it was a good win for us. We had nice balance out there."

The Tigers made 8-of-15 shots from 3-point range en route to a 39-33 halftime lead. Auburn outscored Georgia Southern 56-42 in the second half.

"In the first half, we just started off slowly," said Knox. "That's something we've got to work on because when we get into SEC play, we won't be able to start off slow. We have to work on getting ready to start the game off hot and with high energy."

Knox's layup gave Auburn a double-digit lead for good at 55-45 with 13:27 to play. Auburn pushed its lead to 24 at 77-53 with 7:07 remaining on a pair of Reed free throws and the lead never dipped below 15 points the rest of the way despite Lebo emptying the bench with four minutes to go. All 16 Tigers played.

Georgia Southern (3-12, 0-2 Southern Conference), coached by former Auburn assistant Charlton Young who is in his first season at the school, was led by Antonio Hanson's 16 points and Colby Wohlleb's 10 points.

Auburn shot 57.1 percent (32-of-56) from the field for the game and 66.7 percent (18-of-27) from the foul line. The Tigers outrebounded the Eagles 39-31 and held Georgia Southern to 41.7 percent shooting from the field.

Auburn plays its final non-conference game in Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum history against West Georgia on Tuesday at 7 pm Central. Tickets are $5 each.