ATLANTA | It wasn't the first half that Steven Pearl was looking for from Auburn on Tuesday night. The Tigers looked lethargic, getting outrebounded by the smaller-sized North Alabama, 24-21, including nine offensive rebounds in the first 20 minutes. It was just a five-point advantage for the Tigers, and the Lions went into the locker room believing.

"First half was a little frustrating," Pearl said. "I thought that BP was gonna find a way to break the rule at halftime and tell me how bad of a job I was doing."

Auburn ensured that belief didn't last long, coming out in the second half with a new edge, building the lead to 16 points in the first seven minutes and then 28 after 12. It started with a Devan Cambridge bucket, but, wisely, the Tigers decided to get the ball into Walker Kessler, who scored three straight layups. Two runs – the first 11 consecutive points and then 14 – turned the game into a rout.

The shots that weren't falling in the first half were now ripping through the net, and once this team gets going and sees one shot fall through, the rest takes care of itself. By the time the clock hit 4:35, the lead had grown to 30 points and what looked like it might be a battle turned into a rout.

Pearl, making his head-coaching debut, had some words of encouragement for his team at halftime.

"Coach Pearl came in there," Cambridge said. "It was really our offense. We were shutting them down a little bit ... We stepped it up and made more shots"

It's what makes this team so dangerous. After playing a mediocre 20 minutes, the Tigers turned on the afterburners and left a team in their dust. And with almost every Auburn run, it started on the defensive end, holding the Lions to 17 total points after the break.

"I think we're one of the best defensive teams in the country," Kessler said.

Everyone played a part, including Cambridge, who scored 10 of his 13 points in the second half while coming down five rebounds. In a game where he didn't shoot the ball particularly well, Jabari Smith posted another double-double. Kessler blocked five shots while coming down with eight boards and a team-high 14 points.

On a night when the Tigers shot just 36.2 percent from the field, the Tigers made sure that no upset was about to happen in their arena and gave Pearl a victory.

"1-0 is pretty good," the coach said.