The Sports Xchange
Nov 19, 2017
Mustapha Heron scored a team-high 22 points and led an 18-point run at the start of the second half that put Auburn in command as the Tigers defeated Hofstra 89-78 in the third-place game of the Charleston (S.C.) Classic on Sunday night.
Heron scored eight points during that streak, which gave Auburn (3-1) the lead for good.
Both teams came out firing in a fast-paced game that saw Hofstra take a 50-49 halftime lead. When the second half started, though, Auburn took over.
A Heron layup just over a minute into the half gave the Tigers the lead for good at 51-50. Heron then added four free throws and his second basket, a layup, gave Auburn a 67-50 lead.
The Pride broke through after that on a Justin Wright-Foreman basket, but Hofstra (3-2) needed 7:25 to score those points.
Hofstra used a 14-4 run that cut the lead to seven, and the Pride drew that close again a few more times but couldn't do any better.
Bryce Brown (17 points), Jared Harper (13 points) and DeSean Murray (12 points) also scored in double figures for Auburn.
The Tigers shot well from the field (59.3 percent), on 3-point shots (47.4 percent) and free throws (76.2 percent). That made it tough for the Pride to rally once they fell so far behind.
Eli Pemberton topped Hofstra with his game-high 23 points. The Pride finished with five players in double figures, but it wasn't enough.
Both schools lost in the tournament's semifinal round. Hofstra fell to Clemson and Temple topped Auburn.