AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn opened Friday's exhibition with five new starters, and yet the new-look Tigers didn't miss a beat in their 2019-20 debut with an impressive 97-53 victory over Eckerd College inside Auburn Arena.
Point guard J'Von McCormick led the way with 20 points on 8 of 13 shooting and made a team-high four 3-pointers. The senior, who is taking over for Jared Harper this year, opened the scoring with an alley-oop dunk that got the home crowd off its feet. It would be the first of many highlight-reel dunks from the Tigers on Friday.
"He's been really good," Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. "It's almost like I don't want to jinx him. He's taking control. He's leading well. He's leading by example. I asked that position to do an awful lot. He's growing up before your eyes. It was really good to see."
McCormick also added a team-leading five assists, three rebounds and two steals and was one of six Auburn players to finish in double figures.
Fellow seniors Samir Doughty and Danjel Purifoy scored 14 points apiece. Doughty chipped in four assists and three rebounds while Purifoy showed his range, knocking down back-to-back-to-back 3s at one point in the first half. He also had four rebounds.
Austin Wiley scored 10 points and pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds to record the game's only double-double, though Anfernee McLemore – the first player off the bench for Auburn – just missed a double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds in 18 minutes.
In total, the five seniors (McCormick, Doughty, Purifoy, Wiley and McLemore) led the way for the Tigers, combining to score 71 of the team's 97 points.
"We've just been working hard in the offseason and we know how tough this season is," Doughty said. "We know it's a long season, so all of the seniors spent a lot of time in the gym this offseason just to get better for moments like this. I think it just comes from working hard."
The other player in double figures was freshman Devan Cambridge, who turned heads in his Auburn debut. Cambridge knocked down a pair of 3s and showcased his athleticism with a one-handed alley-oop slam in the second half. He finished with 11 points.
Including Cambridge, there were seven different newcomers that played Friday night.
The Tigers, who led 57-25 at the half, shot 33 of 67 (49 percent) from the floor and made 13 shots from beyond the arc. They also dominated inside with 48 rebounds, 11 blocked shots and a 40-16 advantage in points in the paint.
Auburn will tip off the regular season Tuesday, Nov. 4 against Georgia Southern. The game is set for 8 p.m. CT at Auburn Arena on SEC Network and on the Auburn Sports Network.