The Sports Xchange
Dec 6, 2017
Anfernee McLemore scored 17 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked a career-high six shots, leading Auburn to an 80-55 blowout win over Gardner-Webb on Wednesday at Auburn Arena in Auburn, Ala.
Desean Murray finished with 20 points for the Tigers (7-1), who have won five in a row and had little trouble with Gardner-Webb.
David Efianayi scored 16 points, and Jaheam Cornwall added 11 points off the bench for the Bulldogs (3-7), who have lost four of their past five games.
Auburn never trailed, jumping out to a 7-0 lead and dominating the overmatched Bulldogs throughout the contest.
McLemore was impactful at both ends of the court. He went 4-for-4 on 3-point attempts and helped the Tigers outrebound Gardner-Webb 52-31. Auburn also blocked 10 shots.
Auburn led by 14 at halftime and quickly extended the margin to 21 on 3-pointers from McLemore and Murray early in the second half. Gardner-Webb never made a serious run at the Tigers.
Point guard Jared Harper finished with 10 assists for the Tigers, who host Alabama-Birmingham on Saturday. Auburn's only loss came against Temple in the Gildan Charleston Classic.
After hosting UAB, the Tigers have games against Middle Tennessee, Murray State, Connecticut and Cornell, before opening Southeastern Conference play at Tennessee.
Gardner-Webb struggled shooting the ball and connected on only 6 of 22 3-point tries. The Bulldogs shot 35.7 percent overall from the field to 41.4 percent for Auburn.
The Bulldogs will try to bounce back on Saturday, when they travel to Maryland.