[ad_1]
Although it looked like the lower team for most of the match, Xavier found a way to stay with Auburn, number 8, for nearly 44 minutes in the maiden opening of Maui Invitational. The Musketeers remained within arm's reach throughout the regulation period, and were slow to execute the game in overtime.
It was then that Jared Harper finally decided that he had enough. Midway through the extension, the star star of Auburn got a high balloon screen, drove to his right and threw his 5 '11 "body into the air for a hideous dunk poster. Two possessions later, he drove left and nailed a hard float to put the Tigers in four.
Harper scored 25 goals, Bryce Brown led all scorers with 26 points and Auburn got a hard-fought win in 88-79 to kick off the four-game slate Monday in Lahaina. Harper and Brown scored 10 of Auburn's 11 extra points, while the eliminated Xavier team managed just one basket. The transfer of diplomas, Ryan Welage, led the Musketeers with 17 points, but they failed to overcome the terrible game of goalkeeper Quentin Goodin (3-in-19 shots, seven turnovers).
It was a match worthy of March, especially in the second half. The pace was still frantic, but neither team seemed able to buy a basket in the first 20 minutes. After the break, the shots began to fall for both teams and the match became a fantastic round-trip match. Auburn ascended to double digits; Both times, Xavier is immediately set to run to return to the match. And each time Xavier got closer, Auburn had an answer to take.
GEARY: Power Ranking: Michigan Leads Big Ten Big Week
Auburn shot just 31% of his three goals, but forced 22 turnovers, turning many of them into easy offense on the other end. These Tigers are among the top 10 teams because of their two upper class guards, but also because they play against eight excellent athletes who will make you work hard to score the ball. That said, they gave up 49 points in the second half, while Xavier had 18 points for 18 free throw. It was the Muslims' second consecutive loss, although they were much more impressive than in the home defeat against Wisconsin last week. If Xavier manages to keep the ball and get a better Goodin production, Travis Steele's team has the ability to shoot and a low presence of poles to make noise.
Auburn's victory means that we will have a chance to see how it will compare to the country's No. 1 team tomorrow. The Tigers will almost certainly face Duke in the second round and will have to make two major improvements to have a chance to go for it. First, they will need Harper, Brown and Chuma Okeke to warm up from the age of three. Second, they must crush the defensive glass. Auburn gave Xavier Xavier 16 offensive rebounds, which did not cut him off against Zion Williamson and the company. –Will Ragatz
This message will be updated with the quarterfinal reactions
The remaining quarter-finals on Monday:
Duke vs. San Diego State: Follow Live
State of Iowa and Arizona, 9pm ET, ESPNU
Gonzaga vs Illinois, 23:30 ET, ESPN2
Source link
