Field Level Media
Jan 27, 2018
Mustapha Heron scored 21 points, and No. 19 Auburn rolled to a 19-point lead at halftime and routed LSU, 95-70, in an SEC game Saturday in the Auburn Arena in Auburn, Ala.
Heron, who averages 15 points per game, scored 16 in the first nine minutes. SEC-leading Auburn (19-2, 7-1) improved to 11-0 at home, including 4-0 in the SEC, as it surpassed its win total from last season.
Desean Murray supported Heron with 18 points, Bryce Brown scored 15, Chuma Okeke had 14 and Jared Harper 11.
Duop Reath, who had a career-high 31 points against Vanderbilt a week ago and 21 points against Texas A&M three days later, led LSU with 18 points. Randy Onwuasor scored 14 and Skylar Mays had 10.
Freshman point guard Tremont Waters, LSU's leading scorer, had four points, no assists and six turnovers.
Auburn made 14 of 32 3-pointers and LSU was 4-for-18 from deep. Auburn outrebounded LSU 39-26, grabbing as many offensive rebounds as LSU had defensive rebounds (15).
LSU (12-8, 3-5) lost for the fourth time in its last five games against Auburn.
Auburn never led by fewer than 13 points after taking a 19-6 lead. It led by 19 at the half, and the closest LSU got in the second half was 17 before Auburn expanded the lead, going ahead by as many as 32 points.
The first 15 points for Auburn came on 3-pointers -- four by Heron and one by Brown -- and Heron added a tip-in and a layup to race to a 19-6 lead as Auburn made its first seven shots.
Heron finally missed, but Harper made a 3-pointer and Okeke scored on a layup to complete an 18-0 run that gave Auburn a 24-6 lead.
Reath made two free throws to give LSU its first points in more than five minutes, and he followed with a layup for the first field goal in six minutes.
Murray's layup gave Auburn its biggest first-half lead, 44-22, and Auburn led by 22 once more before settling for a 51-32 halftime lead.
Auburn visits Ole Miss on Tuesday. LSU will visit No. 22 Tennessee on Wednesday.
--Field Level Media