Walker Kessler totaled 14 points, eight rebounds and five blocked shots as No. 13 Auburn cruised past visiting North Alabama 70-44 victory on Tuesday night.
The Tigers (9-1) won their sixth consecutive game and snapped the Lions’ five-game winning streak.
Daniel Ortiz led North Alabama (6-4) with 12 points and tied a team-high with five rebounds, but shot 5-for-18 from the field, including 2-for-9 from 3-point range. C.J. Brim totaled nine points and five rebounds.
The Tigers played for the second consecutive game without coach Bruce Pearl, who was serving a two-game suspension stemming from the NCAA’s decision to put Auburn on four years’ probation for unethical conduct involving former associate head coach Chuck Person.
Pearl’s son, assistant coach Steven Pearl, coached the Tigers on Tuesday.
Kessler was one of four Auburn players who scored in double figures.
Devan Cambridge, who finished with 13 points and five rebounds, had the highlight of Auburn’s second-half surge when he finished a fast break, which was started by a steal by Kessler, with a two-handed, reverse dunk.
Jabari Smith totaled 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Wendell Green Jr. had 12 points and six assists.
The Lions stayed close until the opening moments of the second half, when the Tigers opened things up with a 25-2 run that gave them a 59-31 lead with 8:25 left.
North Alabama missed 13 of its first 15 shots, including all five of its 3-pointers, to open the second half, and Auburn capitalized on 18 Lions turnovers for the game, turning them into 19 points.
North Alabama fell behind early, but used a 10-0 surge to cut Auburn’s lead to 23-22 with 4:22 left in the first half.
But that’s as close as they got as the Tigers led from start to finish.
The Lions were held to only four points over the first 12:01 of the second half.
–Field Level Media
