Reed comes up large in Auburn’s comeback victory

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DeWayne Reed ended Auburn’s 2008-09 season with two missed free throws and tears in the post-game press conference.

He took a big step forward Friday night toward erasing those memories with a performance fitting of his new title as a senior leader.

Reed’s layup and free throw with 12.5 seconds capped a spurt where he scored 8 straight points to lead Auburn to a 69-65 comeback victory over Niagara in the final season-opener at Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum.

“It’s big,” said Reed, who missed two free throws at the end of Auburn’s 74-72 NIT quarterfinals loss to Baylor in March.

“I’m confident going to the line and hitting free throws. I was hungry to win the whole game.”

That hunger turned ravenous in the game’s final 89 seconds, when Auburn outscored Niagara 11-0 to lock down a victory against what could perhaps be its highest-billed non-conference opponent of the season.

“Niagara, as you can see, is very worthy of the hype they have,” coach Jeff Lebo said of the Purple Eagles, who are coming off a 26-win season that made them a top 50 RPI team and return four starters.

“It was a great win for our team. I’m very proud of the way we competed.”

Reed’s dunk off a steal with 52 seconds to play capped an 8-minute stretch where the Tigers lost their 54-50 lead, fell behind by as many as 7 and went without a field goal.

With Tay Waller dressed in his warmups and out for the entire game with a sore quad, Auburn’s big-shot, deep-threat was missing, so Reed took it upon himself.

“I had to take over his slack and put it together for the win,” said Reed, who finished with a game-high 24 points. “It’s just me hungry. I didn’t want to lose the first game.”

Following a timeout, Reed took possession with the Tigers down 2 and 19 seconds to play. He wasted little time, driving straight to the hoop and going up for the layup. He was fouled by Niagara’s Austin Cooley about two steps before his shot, but his continuation made the layup count.

“That’s a big play you expect from your seniors,” Lebo said.

Lucas Hargrove, who was bogged down by foul trouble and finished with just 5 points in 24 minutes, came up large on two defensive stands at the end.

Hargrove got in the way of Bilal Benn’s drive to the hoop with 3 seconds to play, grabbing the ball in midair before he was fouled. After sinking one of two free throws, he stole Niagara’s last-gasp inbounds pass to seal the victory.

Frankie Sullivan was the only other Auburn player in double figures, finishing with 10 points.

With the exception of Robert Chubb, who did not play, all of Auburn’s newcomers saw significant minutes. Freshman Andre Malone led the group with 8 points off the bench while Earnest Ross, who started in Waller’s place, finished with 6 points.

“I thought they did a pretty decent job for freshmen,” Lebo said. “We had funky lineups out there.”

(Photo credit: Leffie Dailey)

Auburn women hang on for sloppy victory

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The star: Alli Smalley tied a career-high with 23 points and sank a number of free throws down the stretch.
The co-star: Chantel Hilliard added 13 points, grabbed five rebounds and stayed out of foul trouble.
Troy’s best: Brittnie Davis led the Trojans with 14 points before fouling out.
It was over when…: Smalley hit two free throws with 1:54 remaining to put Auburn up by 7.

The Tigers simply don’t have the bodies to bog themselves down with foul trouble.

Fortunately for them, Troy didn’t either.

The Trojans put a scare into the defending SEC Champions on Friday, holding leads and hanging within striking distance all the way to the end of the Tigers’ 70-65 season-opening victory at Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum.

The teams combined for 54 fouls, 65 free throws and three starters fouled out.

“Kids just have to grow up and learn how to play at this level and come to play every night,” coach Nell Fortner said. “That’s just something that, as we have a young team, it’s just going to take us awhile.”

All four of Fortner’s freshmen logged significant minutes in their collegiate debuts. Not that she had a choice in the matter.

Junior guard Reneisha Hobbs is out for the season with a freshly torn ACL. Point guard Morgan Jennings tore hers during the summer, and she’s out for the foreseeable future.

Center KeKe Carrier, Auburn’s only senior, played just four minutes because of a bruised tailbone she suffered in practice last week. Carrier sat on a raised stool when she was on the bench and grimaced with pain as she ambled up and down the court during her two brief appearances.

Freshman Pascale West, a 6-foot-8 center, played two minutes in the first half and picked up four fouls. Starters Jordan Greenleaf and Morgan Toles, Auburn’s starting freshman point guard, each had four fouls before the midway point of the second half.

Greenleaf fouled out with 4:13 to play.

“We just have to pay attention to our mistakes and not repeat them over and over again,” said forward Chantel Hilliard, who had 13 points. “When the refs are calling fouls like that, you just have to not lay off, but play harder still and know what you can do in order to not get that foul called on you again.”

Alli Smalley, Auburn’s lone returning starter, didn’t have any on her way to a game-high 23 points, which included two big free throws in the final minutes. She took 21 shots from the field, nine of which came from beyond the arc – an obvious first glimpse that she will be the focal point of Auburn’s retooled offense.

Freshman Nicolle Thomas was 4-of-16 off the bench to finish with 13 points.

Thomas and Smalley combined to take 37 of Auburn’s 64 shots from the field.

“I’m not ready for Nicole to take 16,” Fortner said. “That was not in the plan, but Alli needs 21 shots, at least, a game. I don’t even mind if she gets 25.”

A Greenleaf free throw with 13:04 to play gave Auburn a lead it would never relinquish, ending a string of seven ties and eight lead changes through the first 27 minutes.

“We are far from being the team we’re going to be,” Fortner said. “We have tremendous potential but we’re just not there yet.”

(Photo credit: Leffie Dailey)

5 things to watch for Saturday against Georgia

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- A.J. Green: Auburn had trouble containing him as a freshman and there’s no reason to believe it’ll have an easier time bottling up the sophomore wide receiver in this game. Neiko Thorpe and Walt McFadden have been steady for the majority of the season, but have been exposed at times by play-making wideouts. Demond Washington at safety will help the Tigers some, considering that he’s a cornerback at heart and was originally Auburn’s nickel back. And Green is a bit banged up, sure, but he’s good enough to make a difference no matter what.

- Third-down defense: Speaking of issues Auburn will have to deal with in the secondary, safeties coach Tommy Thigpen hinted earlier this week that the Tigers might have to ditch their nickel package because of depth issues. D’Antoine Hood, Mike Slade and T’Sharvan Bell are all available, but it doesn’t appear any of them have impressed Thigpen enough to merit significant playing time. What Auburn will do instead on third-down passing situations remains to be seen, but it’s likely that it will just stick to the basics.

- Anthony Gulley: If the do-it-all freshman sees the field on Auburn’s first couple of drive, it likely means that Onterio McCalebb is out for a third consecutive game. Gene Chizik said Gulley would fill in for the speed sweeps McCalebb took during the first seven games and Travante Stallworth over the past two before he went down with a knee injury. Seeing Gulley on defense is a worst-case scenario, but certainly a possibility given that unit’s bad luck over the season. Gulley could also make an appearance on punt returns.

- The first quarter: Yes, the Tigers haven’t been ones to pounce on their opponents in the early goings-on, but the first 15 minutes will show Auburn fans which team has arrived to Sanford Stadium. Will it be the one that played tough from start to finish on its way to a big victory in Tennessee? Or will it be the team that was basically absent in its ugly losses at Arkansas and LSU?

- The punt returns: Sheerly for comic relief, this can be the most interesting part of Auburn’s team to watch. All indications point toward the Tigers going in a different direction after multiple gaffes by Philip-Pierre Louis against Furman. It’s not likely, though, that Auburn will have a player back there who can do much with the ball once he actually catches it. If Auburn had someone that could do that, he would have been on the field a long time ago.

(Photo credit: Cliff Williams)

Auburn lands another 4-star

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Thibodaux (La.) wide receiver Trovon Reed, considered the top prospect in Louisiana by some services, committed to Auburn on Friday, giving the Tigers yet another top-billed prospect for their 2010 class.

The Tigers’ three major recruiting Web sites— AuburnSports.com, AUTigers.com and AuburnUndercover.com—reported the news first.

Rivals.com considers the 6-foot, 175-pound Reed the best overall prospect in Louisiana and the No. 37-ranked in the nation. Scout.com ranks him as the 11th best wide receiver in the country. Last Friday, Auburn received a commitment from Little Rock’s Michael Dyer, whom ESPN ranks as the best running back in the country.

After receiving a bevy of offers from most major schools in the country, Reed narrowed his choices down to Auburn, LSU and Oregon before choosing the Tigers on Friday.

Reed is the Tigers’ 21st commitment for the class of 2010 and the third true wide receiver, all of whom are considered four-stars.

Plenty of basketball to be seen tomorrow

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It’ll be November 13th tomorrow—two months too early for basketball, in our opinion—but we’ll be courtside for both the Auburn men’s and women’s respective season openers.

We’ll be back at our day job Saturday for the tackle football team’s grudge match with the University of Georgia’s tackle football team.

Here are some boxes for both of the basketball games to wet your whistle.

Ladies first…

What: Auburn (0-0) vs. Troy (0-0)
Where: Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum
When: 6 p.m.
TV/Radio: None/WMXA 96.7 FM
Scouting report: The Trojans return three starters and eight letterwinners from a team that finished 16-14 overall and 10-8 in the Sun Belt, which was good for second in their division. Michael Murphy is in his eighth year as the Trojans’ coach, going 91-110. Troy was picked to finish sixth out of six teams in the Sun Belt’s East Division. Troy averaged 13.67 3-point attempts per game in 2008-09.
Projected starters Auburn: F Chantel Hilliard (4.0 ppg, 2.8 rpg), F Jordan Greenleaf (7.0 ppg, 5.2 rpg), G Parrisha Simmons (1.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg), G Alli Smalley (11.1 ppg, 2.0 3pg), G Morgan Toles (N/A)
Projected starters Troy: C Alyce Shearing (9.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg), F Tenia Manuel (1.9 ppg, 2.1 rpg), F Donette McNair (10.5 ppg, 7.3 rpg), G Brittnie Davis (7.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg), G Kirsten Smith (5.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg)

Followed by the men…

What: Auburn (0-0) vs. Niagara (0-0)
Where: Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum
When: 8:30 p.m.
TV/Radio: None/WXMA 97.7 FM
Scouting report: The Purple Eagles boast a starting lineup chock full of seniors, four of which who return from last season’s Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference runner-up team. Niagara finished 26-9 in 2008, ending its season with a 68-62 loss to Rhode Island. The Purple Eagles don’t have any major contributors that stand taller than 6-foot-5, so Auburn will certainly have the height advantage – one of the few times that will occur this season. Niagara was picked to finish second in the MAAC behind defending champion Siena. Purple Eagles coach Joe Mihalich is one of six active coaches who has coached at one school with 200 wins and a .600 winning percentage.
Projected starters Auburn: F Lucas Hargrove (8.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg), C Brandon Knox (2.5 ppg, 1.7 rpg), G DeWayne Reed (13.2 ppg, 3.7 apg), G Frankie Sullivan (9.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg), G Tay Waller (12.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg)
Projected starters Niagara: F Bilal Benn (13.8 ppg, 9.3 rpg), F Demetrius Williamson (7.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg), G Rob Garrison (10.9 ppg, 2.8 rpg), G Tyrone Lewis (16.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg), G Anthony Nelson (8.1 ppg, 5.5 apg)