Greenville | It was just an exhibition, but Auburn basketball is back.

The Tigers pulled out an 83-62 win over Furman on Sunday from the Bon Secours Wellness Arena.

Furman threatened for a bit, as it had the deficit at five points with 14:42 to go before Auburn went on an extended 28-8 run to pull away from the Paladins.

Johni Broome paced Auburn with 18 points and 14 rebounds, but the biggest storyline was the play of the two freshmen, Tahaad Pettiford and Jahki Howard, who scored 13 and 10 points, respectively.

And while it was a good outcome for the Tigers, Bruce Pearl would have liked to have seen more.

"I thought our energy was okay, but not great," Pearl said. "It's a 20-point road win. This is a team that's like App State and we went to App State last year and got beat. From that standpoint, I'm pleased with the outcome."

Here are some takeaways from the exhibition:

THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT

Both Howard and Pettiford had electric unofficial debuts for the Tigers.

In addition to their scoring, Pettiford, finished with three assists and three steals while Howard posted two steals and a block.

The chemistry that the two freshmen had was on full display Sunday afternoon.

"It makes the game so much easier," Pettiford said about playing with Howard. "All you've got to do is throw it up, he's going to find a way to catch it and put it in the rim."

JOHNI IS JOHNI

The freshmen will be the biggest talking point coming out of the exhibition, but Broome was Auburn's best player.

The All-American center posted 18 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks in just 28 minutes of action.

It was simply just another day in the office for one of the best players in America.

"Johni did a really good job of attacking off the bounce and getting downhill," Pearl said. "He did a good job of getting to the basket."

OFFENSE STILL A WORK IN PROGRESS, AND THAT'S FINE

Auburn put up 83 points, but the way it got there did not always look good.

The Tigers ended the night shooting 4-of-22 from deep, which works out to just 18 percent.

The Tigers were without Miles Kelly, who Pearl has called his team's best shooter, but regardless of that, 18 percent from deep isn't going to cut it.

"Didn't shoot it very well," Pearl said. "Some of our better players and better shooters just didn't make shots. Some of it is playing at the tempo we're playing at and playing hard defensively. Sometimes, your offense is a little bit out of rhythm."

It's worth noting that the Tigers still managed to put up 83 points despite the poor shooting, but they were also able to bully a Furman team that just can't match Auburn physically.

"The guys that were athletic, speed and quickness, played the best," Pearl said. "We've got to do a better job of finishing around the basket."

The offense is a work in progress, but it was also an exhibition. No need to raise red flags yet.

STILL TRYING TO INTEGRATE JP

It was a homecoming for JP Pegues, but his impact was very small as he put up just two points and an assist. He did finish with six rebounds, though.

Pegues, despite being the team's point guard, had a usage rate of 7.7 percent, which was the lowest of any player on Auburn's roster.

Again, it's still October, so don't raise any red flags just yet, but it's clear that the Tigers are still trying to find the fit with Pegues, but Pearl certainly isn't worried.

"JP's been super solid," Pearl said. "He's always in the right place at the right time. He has practiced better the last couple weeks than he played tonight."

SWARMING DEFENSE

Part of the reason Auburn played Furman was because of the offense Bob Richey runs.

His offense involves a lot of off-ball movement and screens, which is tough to deal with, especially early in a season when team chemistry isn't where it needs to be.

Furman had some good moments, but for the most part, Auburn's defense had them seeing ghosts.

The Tigers held Furman to 36 percent from the field and 24 percent from deep.

In addition to shooting numbers, the Tigers played a swarming, pressing, aggressive style of defense that led to the Paladins committing 18 turnovers.

"We work on that a lot in practice," Pettiford said. "We made sure that when we come in here, we're going to pressure them. That was one of the game plans today. I'm happy that we executed that."