Mercer gives Auburn a scare in loss

AUBURN, ALABAMA - Rasheem Barrett had 18 points to lead Auburn past Mercer 68-59 Wednesday night.

Auburn pulled off the victory despite a shorthanded bench with freshman center Boubacar Sylla out with an ankle injury and sophomore forward Lucas Hargrove out with a broken hand.

Barrett also had six rebounds and led the Tigers with four steals. Quan Prowell chipped in 16 points and five rebounds for the Tigers while Korvotney Barber and Frank Tolbert had 10 points apiece.

Barber also had five blocked shots. Dewayne Reed and Frank Tolbert each had six assists.

James Florence led Mercer with 25 points and seven rebounds. Mark Hall had 11 points off the bench for Mercer while Sam Dolan had 9 points and seven rebounds.

Auburn outscored Mercer 24-10 in the paint in the first half. The Tigers led 30-21 at halftime.

The Tigers continued to take advantage down low and finished the game with 42 points in the paint while Mercer only had 22.