College Basketball

Young Auburn squad defeats UAB 74-70 in first road test

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 5:09 p.m. ET

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) Jared Harper scored 21 points and Danjel Purifoy added 16 to lead Auburn to a 74-70 victory over UAB on Saturday night.

The young Tigers (6-1) proved capable of handling a hostile environment in their first true road game of the season, outlasting UAB (4-4) in front of the first sellout crowd at Bartow Arena since March 23, 2010.

Auburn shot 48.1 percent from the field and outscored UAB 41-33 in the second half. The Tigers knocked down 11 3-pointers, the most since they made 13 in the season opener against North Florida, outscoring UAB 33-12 from beyond the arc.

Harper torched the Blazers for 15 points on five 3-pointers in the first half, but the true freshman was forced to take a seat early in the second half with three fouls.

Purifoy, the freshman forward who was tied with Mustapha Heron for the team lead in points per game entering the contest, stepped up in Harper's absence. Purifoy scored 11 of his 14 points in the second half, including three of his four 3-pointers.

UAB earned a 40-31 advantage on the boards, but leading scorer Chris Cokley was forced out of the game with 8:24 remaining when he was called for a personal foul and subsequently drew a technical foul call for arguing with the referee. He finished with eight points and seven rebounds.

William Lee led UAB with 13 points, and Hakeem Baxter added 12 points on 5 of 8 shooting.

UP NEXT

Auburn: The Tigers get an extended break before traveling to New York on Monday, Dec. 12, to face Boston College in the Under Armour Reunion at Madison Square Garden.

UAB: The Blazers will look to get back on track Wednesday at Stephen F. Austin after their second loss in three games.

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