There was no overtime needed this time for Auburn as they cruised to a 95-57 win over the Merrimack Warriors. Auburn was once again led by UCF transfer Keyshawn Hall with 25 points and 14 rebounds. He scored 28 in the Tigers’ overtime win on Monday versus Bethune-Cookman. The win gives the Tigers a 2-0 start to begin the season.
Auburn was down 3-0 after a three-pointer by Ernest Shelton with 17:57 before the Tigers took a 4-3 lead after Hall and Sebastian Williams-Adams scored a pair of two-point baskets. The Tigers never trailed in the game again. The closest the game got was when Malik Edmead connected on a free throw to make it 14-7 with 11:28 in the first half. Auburn would then go on an 8-0 run to build a 22-7 lead. They would carry a 39-22 lead into the locker room at halftime.
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Auburn dominated inside with 42 points versus just 14 for Merrimack. They also shot 37 free throws in the game and made 27. The Warriors only shot 24. Auburn should have aggressiveness throughout the game to create opportunities on the offensive end. They needed those free throws due to the team struggling from beyond the three-point line. The Tigers were just 6 of 24 for 25%. On defense, Auburn forced 11 turnovers that resulted in 21 points.
Hall was one of five players who scored double figures on Thursday night. Point guard Tahaad Pettiford scored 13 points but struggled going 1 of 7 from long distance. Through the first two games, he is 3-for-16. Auburn will need that percentage to improve moving forward. Sebastian Williams-Adams added 14 points with five rebounds and five assists. On the bench, Emeka Opurum scored 11 and Abdul Bashir scored 10. Ernest Shelton led Merrimack with 23 points. He was the only player who scored in double figures.
Auburn’s next game will be against Wofford on Tuesday, Nov. 11. The game is set to start at 7 p.m. Central and will be broadcast by SEC Network+.
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This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Auburn basketball defeats Merrimack, 95-57, to improve record to 2-0
