AUBURN, Ala. – It had been over a month since Danjel Purifoy last scored in double figures. It had been even longer for Jamal Johnson. Both players found their stroke again Sunday, giving No. 8 Auburn a much-needed boost offensively.
With a combined 31 points from Purifoy and Johnson, the Tigers (12-0) stayed perfect on the season with an 86-59 win over Lipscomb inside Auburn Arena in what was the final non-conference game before SEC play begins. It was the team's third-highest scoring output this season and the highest since Nov. 18 when they scored 91 points against Colgate.
"We played better tonight, which we needed to," Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. "We talked about that a little bit coming off the break. When we shoot (the 3), it adds a different dimension to our offense. Danjel made three. Jamal made four. We got some good looks. As we go against bigger, more physical teams, it's got to be part of our arsenal."
Purifoy led Auburn with a season-high 17 points on 5 of 9 shooting. The senior also just missed his first double-double of the season with nine rebounds, including six offensive rebounds.
"I felt like I came out and played a great game," Purifoy said. "My whole process on my mind was just being aggressive throughout the whole game."
"I think he's ready for the second half of the season," added Pearl. "We've talked about the fact that we need him to be good. We won't win as many SEC games as we should unless he doesn't do what he does tonight. I'm not asking him to do anything he's not capable of doing. He knows that. He absolutely knows it. I thought he had a good rhythm to his game."
Johnson gave the Tigers their first lead of the game with a 3-pointer at the 13-minute mark of the first half. He knocked down three more shots from beyond the arc and also made a sweet scoop shot with his right hand midway through the second half to finish with 14 points, matching his career high at Auburn that he set earlier this year in a win at South Alabama.
"(Pearl) always says to stay right and stay ready," Johnson said. "You never know when your name is going to be called, so you have to stay ready, try to make an impact, play hard, play with the team and be confident."
It was a slow start for the Tigers, who fell behind 10-2 early. But they battled back to take the lead and then finished the first half on a 21-7 run over the final 9:25, holding Lipscomb without a point for over seven minutes to take a 40-25 lead into the locker room at the break.
Senior Austin Wiley continued his dominance inside with 10 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks. It was the fifth double-double of the season for Wiley, who is currently leading the SEC in rebounding with 9.5 boards per game. As a team, Auburn finished with nine blocked shots and outrebounded Lipscomb, 43-28.
Fellow starters Isaac Okoro and Samir Doughty also scored in double figures with 14 and 11 points respectively in what was a breakout game offensively for the Tigers, who shot 51.7 percent from the field and made 12 of their 32 shots from beyond the arc.
Doughty, the team's leading scorer coming in, also added a game-high seven assists.
With the win, Auburn moves to 12-0 and is one of only two unbeaten teams remaining in college basketball, joining San Diego State. It's the program's best start since the 1998-99 season when the Tigers won their first 17 games before losing.
Now it's on SEC play where Auburn will open on the road at Mississippi State next Saturday, Jan. 4. The game is scheduled to tip at 3:30 p.m. CT and will be televised on SEC Network.