![](Dec 14, 2019BIRMINGHAM, Ala. J’ Von McCormick scored 20 points, freshman Isaac Okoro added 12 and No. 12 Auburn improved to 9-0, beating Saint Louis 67-61 on Saturday in the Mike Slive Invitational at Legacy Arena.The teams struggled to generate offense early, but the Tigers used physical defense, feeding into transition buckets to create separation in the second half.“We did enough of what we needed to do to win,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. “Defensively, we were terrific, and J’Von McCormick was the best player on the floor.”The Tigers started 0 of 5 from the field and looked confused early on in half-court sets due to Saint Louis throwing a variation of defensive looks at the SEC’s lone unbeaten. The Billikens led 8-0, but poor shooting from the free-throw line, and from beyond the arc, kept them from building a larger lead.Auburn failed to find a rhythm in the first half, shooting just 33% from the field and 4 of 10 from the free-throw line, but shot 50% from 3-point territory in the second half. The Tigers comfort level went up with the pace of play, forcing 12 turnovers and getting out to run against the Billikens."They had a career day by their point guard. ... He was a one-man band there for a while, I thought,” Saint Louis coach Travis Ford said. “He took advantage of some opportunities. Give him credit. I told him after the game that he was the difference in the game, plain and simple, by a wide margin." Javonte Perkins led the Billikens (8-2) with 16 points and Jordan Goodwin added 15. BIG PICTURESaint Louis: The Billikens came into the game second to last in the country in free-throw percentage, and finished 8 of 19 from the line. Saint Louis' offensive struggles were apparent beyond the arc as well, shooting just 17% from the 3-point line.Auburn: The Tigers are one of five teams remaining undefeated teams in college basketball.UP NEXTSaint Louis: Hosts Division II Maryville on Wednesday night.Auburn: Hosts North Carolina State on Thursday night.)
Dec 13, 2019Saint Louis, the country's only team with two players averaging double-doubles, will take on No. 12 Auburn on Saturday afternoon at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Ala.The Billikens (8-1) have won five straight games but face a mighty challenge against the Tigers (8-0), one of five unbeaten NCAA Division I teams.This is just Auburn's second 8-0 start since 1963. The last time was in 1998.The Tigers made it to last season's NCAA Final Four for the first time in program history. They also won their first SEC tournament title since 1985."Our guys came to Auburn to make history," Tigers coach Bruce Pearl said. "And they are starting to see what we have here -- we're blessed." Saint Louis is led by Jordan Goodwin, a 6-foot-3 junior guard averaging 15.4 points and 11.0 rebounds, and Hasahn French, a 6-7 junior forward averaging 14.9 points and 10.4 rebounds.With Goodwin and French leading the way, the Billikens top the Atlantic 10 Conference and rank 14th nationally in rebounding.Billikens coach Travis Ford has five freshmen on his young roster, including guards Yuri Collins and Gibson Jimerson. Collins leads all NCAA freshmen in assists (5.9). Jimerson ranks fifth among the nation's freshmen in 3-point shooting percentage (45.3) and has been named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week twice consecutively.But Saint Louis has not defeated a Top 25 team since the 2013 Atlantic 10 Conference Championship, when the Billikens knocked off No. 25 VCU.Picked to finish ninth in the 14-team conference, Saint Louis appears to be much better than that, thanks to players such as Jimerson, who scored 22 points in the Billikens' most recent game, an 86-62 win over Tulane on Sunday.A total of four freshmen are in the Billikens' rotation: Jimerson, Collins, Jimmy Bell and Terrence Hargrove Jr.Auburn also has a star freshman -- Isaac Okoro, a 6-6, 215-pounder. He is an elite defender who posted 18 points, nine rebounds, three assists and one block in the Tigers' most recent game, an 81-78 overtime win over Furman on Dec. 5.Okoro, the reigning SEC Freshman of the Week, played an impressive 43 minutes in that game. He's averaging 13.8 points while shooting 59.5 percent.Auburn's scoring leader is a senior -- Samir Doughty, a 6-4 guard averaging 18.5 points.Doughty, a hard-nosed and agile defender, made 42.5 percent of his 3-pointers last season and has been accurate on 38.8 percent of his long-distance tries this season.Center Austin Wiley, a 6-11, 260-pound senior, averages 11.0 points and 9.0 rebounds. Two other seniors round out Auburn's starting lineup -- 6-7 forward Danjel Purifoy (10.4 ppg.) and 6-0 guard J'Von McCormick (8.5 ppg.).Saturday's game is billed as the Mike Slive Invitational, and proceeds will support research to prevent prostate cancer. Slive was the SEC commissioner from 2002-15.--Field Level Media
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