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Danjel Purifoy had a career-high-tying 27 points and seven
rebounds for Auburn (7-2). The freshman forward also scored 27
points Monday in the Tigers' heartbreaking loss to Boston
College.
Mustapha Heron posted 17 points and seven rebounds for the
Tigers, while Jared Harper had 16 points and seven assists.
Elijah Wilson scored 22 points for Coastal Carolina (5-7), which
is led by former Auburn coach Cliff Ellis. Jaylan Robertson
added 12 points for the Chanticleers, who won three of their
previous four games.
On Wednesday, Auburn coach Bruce Pearl announced that starters
Bryce Brown and Horace Spencer were suspended for Thursday's
game after they were arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor
possession of marijuana. Pearl said "we're disappointed" and
"they're embarrassed." Pearl has not said when the players will
be allowed to return.
Despite their absences, the Tigers never trailed. They took a
15-5 lead on a 3-pointer by Harper and went up 20-9 on a
3-pointer by Purifoy. The Chanticleers battled back to get
within four on a jumper by Robertson and cut the deficit to
three on a free throw by Artur Labinowicz, but then the Tigers
mounted a 23-0 run to pull away.
Auburn and carried a 56-27 lead into the break after outscoring
Coastal Carolina 31-5 over the final 6:35 of the half. The
Tigers shot nearly 53 percent and made 10 3-pointers in the
first half while holding the Chanticleers to 26.3 percent
shooting.
The Tigers stretched the lead to 30 early in the second half and
went up 65-32 on a 3-pointer by Purifoy. They continued to pull
away, leading by as many as 52 late in the game.
Overall, the Tigers shot 55.6 percent from the floor, while the
Chanticleers made 32.1 percent of their field-goal attempts.
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