Newcomers rally AU to basketball win

By Mike Szvetitz
Sports Editor, Opelika-Auburn News
Published: November 22, 2008

Tay Waller said Auburn’s 83-71, comeback win over George Washington started on defense.

Well, the Auburn junior shooting guard got it going on offense, too.

Waller finished with a game-high 19 points to lead the Tigers (2-1) back from a 15-point halftime deficit Saturday at Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum, avenging an upset loss to Mercer just three days prior.

For Waller, the key wasn’t being down at the break, but whether or not the Tigers would respond.

“I wasn’t concerned we were down to far,” the Okaloosa-Walton (Niceville, Fla.) junior college transfer said. “I was concerned if we were going to stay down – stay beat. It’s one thing to get beat, but it’s another to stay beat.

“It’s basketball … it’s a game of two halves.”

Indeed.

In the first half, George Washington made more 3-pointers (10-for-17) than Auburn did field goals (8-for-22) to take a 44-29 lead into the locker room.

George Washington’s Travis King and Noel Wilmore were a combined 7-for-8 from behind the arc in the first 20 minutes.

“On the scouting report, we only had one guy we wanted to take out,” Auburn head coach Jeff Lebo said. “We didn’t do a very good job defending.”

But that changed in the second half.

Lebo said the Tigers didn’t shake up their defense in the final 20 minutes, but just played more focused.

Whatever it was, it worked as the Colonials made just two 3-pointers in the second half.

“When we went in at halftime, coach was saying we needed to be more active on defense,” Waller said. “So we came together and said we were going to pick it up on defense.”

And on offense, too.

Auburn went on a 28-9, 11-plus minute run in the second half, which began with a Lucas Hargrove dunk and ended with one.
In between, Waller and true freshman guard Frankie Sullivan couldn’t miss.

Sullivan finished with a career-high 17 points and went 4-for-7 from 3. Waller was 5-for-13 from behind the 3-point line.

“It was a matter of Auburn being tougher and more physical in the second half,” George Washington head coach Karl Hobbs said. “We said at halftime, ‘Auburn’s going to make a run. We just have to see how we will respond to it. We just have to play defense.’

“Our defense failed us.”

Waller and Sullivan played a majority of the second period on the floor at the same time, which is something Lebo said he wanted to see.

And they answered.

The two teamed up to give Auburn its first lead of the game with 10:12 to remaining. Sullivan hit the floor on Auburn’s end, creating a steal for the Tigers, which was finished with Waller burying a 3-pointer and the other end for a 54-53 lead.
It wasn’t the first, or the last time the two played off each other.

“Every time in transition, either I was on the wing or he was on the wing,” Waller said. “I always look for him. He always knocks it down.”

Auburn was better from the foul line, shooting 75 percent for the game. Coming into Saturday’s game, the Tigers were 54 percent from the free-throw line. Down the stretch, Auburn made 14-of-17 from the line in the final four minutes to seal the win.
The two other Tigers to finish in double figures were Hargrove, who dropped 13, while Korvotney Barber totaled 11.

George Washington was led by Damian Hollis’ 16 points, while Tony Taylor added 13.

Auburn will host Bethune-Cookman at 7 p.m. on Tuesday in the second round of the Chicago Invitational.