Auburn Defeats Chattanooga in Holiday Hoopsgiving Classic

ATLANTA, Ga.- The Auburn Tigers defeat the Chattanooga Mocs, 92-78 on Saturday in the Holiday Hoopsgiving Classic behind 20-point efforts from Keyshawn Hall (22 points) and Tahaad Pettiford (20 points) as well as 19 points off the bench from Elyjah Freeman.

Next for Auburn will be the 6th ranked Purdue Boilermakers on December 20th. Auburn will have a week off to gather themselves and fix the mistakes for a chance to play spoiler against the sixth ranked team in the country.

Auburn Tigers on SI breaks down the win and how it happened.

Perimeter Defense Struggles

Auburn gave up seven 3-pointers through the matchup. Although that number does not jump off the page, the perimeter defense was lacking severely guarding the 3-point line.

To his credit, head coach Steven Pearl adjusted to this by playing against the 3-point line aggressively in the second half, and it worked with the Tigers giving up just two 3-pointers in that span.

Chattanooga also two key 3-point shooters during the game to injury, playing a big role in Auburn's defensive improvement, as well.

Elyjah Freeman Shines

Elyjah Freeman tallied 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists off the bench in this matchup, and as the season progresses, he is getting better and better. Last season, Freeman was playing Division 2 basketball. Despite this, he is making himself at home playing elite opponents.

It is rare for someone to move up from Division 2 to the SEC and play at the level Freeman is playing at. 

Keyshawn Hall Shines at the Charity Strike

Hall is one of the most aggressive players every time he is on the court. He averages 9 free throw attempts per game, and was able to go to the line 14 times this matchup. Hall averages 20.8 points per game, and he finished the matchup against Chattanooga with 22 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. Hall is also shooting 91% from the free-throw line on the season, which gives Auburn a sense of security when Hall is at the line. 

Too Comfortable with Leads

Every time Auburn went up by double digits, they allowed Chattanooga to rally back and make it a game again. Auburn’s largest lead of the game was 16 points, and Chattanooga was able to bring the lead down to as low as a single point.

The Tigers tend to get far too comfortable and get lazy on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.

Part of the struggle comes as a result of turnovers. Auburn finished with 13 as a team on Saturday, giving Chattanooga ample opportunities. Not many teams win big games when they turn the ball over that number of times.

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