AUBURN, Ala. \u2013 Tuning up for SEC play with an offensive outburst, Auburn routed Queens 106-65 Monday at Neville Arena in the Tigers\u2019 nonconference finale.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNowhere else in the country, in my opinion, is going to have that type of turnout this late,\u201d Auburn coach Steven Pearl<\/a> said of the 9 p.m. tip. \u201cSo thankful for our fans to show up like that and support these guys. Ultimately, it led to a really impressive first half for us and I thought that inspired our guys to lay everything on the line. I told our guys our fans deserve your best performance.\u201d<\/p>\n Elyjah Freeman<\/a> led Auburn with 27 points off the bench, making all four of his 3-point attempts and scoring 20 in the second half. Kevin Overton<\/a> made 5 of 7 3-pointers and scored 23, Keyshawn Hall<\/a> added 18 points and Sebastian Williams-Adams<\/a> chipped in 10.<\/p>\n \u201cI felt like it was the best option for the entire team,\u201d Freeman said of his recent sixth man role. \u201cI\u2019m not really a selfish kid. I know what I\u2019m capable of, being able to come off the bench with a little bit of spark. Hopefully that\u2019ll show Saturday.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGreat to see Elyjah make open shots,\u201d Pearl said of Freeman\u2019s 9-for-13 outing. \u201cHe really gave us a spark in the second half, which we needed.\u201d<\/p>\n Auburn exploded for 57 first-half points, its highest output of the season, with Hall leading the way with 16 points before intermission.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOffensively we shared the ball in the first half,\u201d Pearl said. \u201cThe first half looked like Auburn basketball again, which was encouraging.\u201d<\/p>\n KeShawn Murphy<\/a> won the opening tip and made a 3-pointer on the game\u2019s first possession, setting the tone for how \u201cNightmode at Neville\u201d would go.<\/p>\n \u201cFor me to hit that 3 to begin with, it got the team, the crowd and everybody involved,\u201d Murphy said. \u201cI\u2019m glad I hit that early. I\u2019m ready to lead us into conference play and have a good run here.\u201d<\/p>\n Tahaad Pettiford<\/a> made a steal and passed to Overton, who drew a foul while making a 3-pointer, adding the free throw to give Auburn an early 10-point lead. Hall followed with a stepback 3 and the Tigers led by double digits for the game\u2019s last 36 minutes and 19 seconds.<\/p>\n Hall scored eight points during a 15-0 Auburn run to put the Tigers on top 30-4 with 12:06 to play in the first half.\u00a0<\/p>\n Pettiford equaled his career high with six assists on Overton\u2019s fourth 3-pointer of the half.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cKey and Tahaad sharing the ball, getting other guys involved, makes a difference,\u201d Pearl said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Leading by 36 at the half, the Tigers and Royals traded baskets throughout the second half as Auburn cruised to its NCAA-leading 64th consecutive home nonconference victory.\u00a0<\/p>\n After Pettiford hit a 3-pointer, Filip Jovic<\/a> grabbed an offensive rebound and passed to Pettiford, who fed Freeman for a dunk to extend his career high to nine assists.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was looking for his teammates,\u201d Pearl said. \u201cHe was very intentional. You could tell he was trying to find his teammates.\u201d<\/p>\n The Tigers held Queens without a 3-pointer until the 7:30 mark of the second half and limited the Royals to 2-for-15 shooting from long range.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe did a good job of closing out and running people off the line,\u201d Pearl said. \u201cWe did a good job of limiting them to one shot. Overall, a really good effort on their 3-pointers.\u201d<\/p>\n The Tigers made 15 of 28 3-pointers, a 53.6-percent clip.\u00a0<\/p>\n Overton led Auburn with four steals. Murphy and Williams-Adams each blocked three shots.<\/p>\n Auburn (9-4) heads to Athens to play No. 24 Georgia in the SEC opener Saturday at noon CT on SEC Network and the Auburn Sports Network.\u00a0<\/p>\n Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X:\u00a0@jeff_shearer<\/a><\/p>\n