Auburn’s Ballin’ in Boutwell stay in Birmingham didn’t go the way the Tigers wanted.
Florida State handed Auburn an 82-71 loss on Wednesday, sending the Tigers to their second straight defeat in the Boutwell event and giving them a rough start to preseason play. Auburn now heads back to Birmingham for another exhibition, this time against Alabama on Thursday, Oct. 22.
The Seminoles made the biggest swing when the game was there to be won. Auburn had pushed out to an eight-point edge early in the second half, but Florida State answered with a 15-2 run to take control. From there, the visitors finished stronger, outscoring Auburn 50-34 after halftime and putting four players in double figures.
Kam Taylor led Florida State with 19 points, while Shon Abaev added 15. On the Auburn side, Tahaad Pettiford scored a game-high 20 points, but Kevin Overton managed just 10 in what was a tough shooting night for the backcourt.
Even with the loss, Auburn got some early signs from its newcomers. Point guard George Kimble III made a strong first impression with six points, six rebounds and six assists in his debut with the Tigers. Adam Olsen also chipped in 11 points and four assists after missing three shots from the floor in his Auburn debut.
Inside, Auburn’s 7-footers Narcisse Ngoy and Bukky Oboye combined for nine points, 12 rebounds and five blocks. But Florida State had the upper hand on the glass, led by Marcis Ponder’s 13 points and game-high 21 rebounds.
The Tigers trailed by five at halftime, 37-32, after grabbing their first lead only in the final two minutes of the opening half. Olsen and Pettiford got Auburn moving early, combining for 16 points as the Tigers knocked down half of their eight made 3-pointers before the break.
Auburn used 10 players in the first half, and the bench contributed 22 points in that span. Still, Florida State controlled the rebounding battle 28-20 before halftime, including 10 offensive boards.
Caleb Williams and Thomas Dowd were Auburn’s only players without points in the first half. Dowd finished with five points, six rebounds and three assists, while Williams added four points and one assist.
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