Georgia State Panthers at Auburn Tigers

Purifoy scores 17 in 2nd half, Auburn beats Georgia State

Auburn (2-0) pulled away in the second half as its shooting, which had been an issue in the first 20 minutes, picked up. They shot 56 percent in the second half to put away the Panthers, who were undone by a combination of turnovers and cold shooting.

"I thought we were very stagnant in the first half, much better in the second half," Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. "It's probably one of the better second-half defenses we've had. The defense was really good away from us tonight."

Georgia State finished with 18 turnovers, which Auburn turned into 16 points.

Purifoy was plagued with foul trouble early, and had to come out just three minutes into the game, and he didn't return for the rest of the half. But he scored 17 points in the second half to help propel the Tigers to a second consecutive win.

"Every time they needed a play, they went to the point guard," said Georgia State coach Ron Hunter. "I thought he was really, really special. He really set the tone for their team, you know, makes those other guys better."

Jeremy Hollowell led Georgia State (1-1) with 20 points and four rebounds. Justin Seymour added 18 points and six rebounds for the Panthers.

BIG PICTURE

Georgia State: The Panthers dropped their first game of the season, but they'll continue the Cancun Challenge with a chance to rebound.

Auburn: Bruce Pearl's squad keeps the undefeated start to the season rolling as his young team gains some much-needed experience.

HE SAID IT

HIGHLIGHT REEL

With Auburn holding onto an 11-point lead and under four minutes remaining, guard T.J. Dunans picked off an errant pass and took it the length of the floor. He whipped a behind-the-back pass to a trailing Horace Spencer, who thundered home a monstrous two-handed dunk that sent Auburn Arena into a frenzy.

UP NEXT

Georgia State travels to Purdue on Thursday to take on another Power 5 opponent.

Auburn looks to start 3-0 this season when the Tigers host Eastern Kentucky on Thursday.

How can I watch Georgia State vs. Auburn?

• TV Channel: Georgia State at Auburn 2021 College Basketball, week 2, is broadcasted on SEC Network.
• Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo Free trial.
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