UL Monroe Warhawks vs Auburn Tigers Box Score on Nov 12, 2021

Jabari Smith collected 23 points, 10 rebounds and four steals to fuel No. 22 Auburn to a 93-65 victory over visiting Louisiana-Monroe on Friday.

Smith made 7 of 12 shots from the floor, including 3 of 5 from 3-point range for the Tigers.

Former Georgia player K.D. Johnson drained four 3-pointers to highlight his 18-point performance off the bench.

Chris Moore scored a career-high 16 points and ex-Eastern Kentucky player Wendell Green Jr. added 15 for Auburn. The Tigers overcame a scare in the first half before outscoring Louisiana-Monroe by a 56-26 margin in the second.

Auburn shot 48.3 percent from the floor and 40 percent from 3-point range. The Tigers also benefited from 10 blocks and nine steals on the defensive end.

Trey Boston scored 16 points for the Warhawks, whose 39 points in the first half matched their overall point total in a 62-point setback to LSU on Tuesday.

While Auburn led wire-to-wire in its 77-54 season-opening victory over Morehead State on Tuesday, it needed a strong second-half performance to subdue pesky Louisiana-Monroe.

The Tigers erased an eight-point deficit in the first half and a two-point deficit at intermission by scoring 35 of the first 48 points in the second half to take a 72-52 lead. Johnson drained three 3-pointers and Moore converted a pair of three-point plays to highlight the surge.

Green and Smith each converted from beyond the arc to push Auburn's advantage to 81-58 with under five minutes to play. The Tigers put it on cruise control from there.

Koreem Ozier and Russell Harrison each sank a 3-pointer as the Warhawks scored 10 straight points to take a 26-18 lead with six minutes remaining in the first half. Louisiana-Monroe pushed the advantage to 39-32 with 1:11 to play before Green drained five straight free throws to trim the margin.

--Field Level Media