Junior Auburn guard Tay Waller lived up to his reputation Friday night.
Waller, one of the top nation’s top junior college 3-point shooters last season, put on a show in his first opportunity before the fans at Beard-Eaves Coliseum. He scored 27 points, hitting 7-of-12 3-point attempts as Auburn routed Division II Morehouse 98-50 in an exhibition game.
It was a far cry from last season's exhibition game, when the Tigers were beaten by AUM.
“I thought we did some good things,” fifth-year coach Jeff Lebo said. “We didn’t turn the ball over much. We made the extra pass for the most part and shot the ball well from 3.”
Waller did his damage in 21 minutes. After missing his first two shots, he heated up. He added three assists, two steals and a rebound for good measure. He left the game for good with 12:18 left.
“The first two, I thought I was going to have an off game,” Waller said. “At the timeout, Coach Lebo said just play within the offense. When the third one came, I hit it and got my confidence back.”
Auburn led 46-22 at halftime, quickly pulled ahead 74-31 and cruised to victory. Eleven players got into the game and 10 scored for Auburn. Senior guard Quantez Robertson had a spectacular game. He was 6-of-7 from the field, scored 19 points, got 10 rebounds and had five assists.
“Tez is just a warrior,” Lebo said. “Out on the court, he does so many things for you. He’s stronger this year and his athleticism has gotten better with his strength.”
Junior guard DeWayne Reed added 14 points for the Tigers.
The Tigers hit 39-for-76 from the field for 51.3 percent and outrebound the Maroon Tigers 47-35. An old problem cropped up again as they hit just 5-of-14 free throw attempts.
