Auburn basketball coach Jeff Lebo isn't certain when senior Tay Waller will return to the lineup, but it can't happen soon enough for him.
Waller, Auburn's top returning 3-point shooter, has missed the first two games of the regular season with a quad injury. In his absence, the Tigers have struggled to make shots. They had to rally for a 69-65 victory over Niagara in their opener and were beaten 73-62 at Missouri State.
Waller made 100 3-point shots last season, but Lebo says his value goes beyond that.
"He's our best shooter and one of our best defensive players," Lebo said. "(His absence) forces one of our freshmen into the lineup. When he is making shots, it seems to be contagious."
Without him, the Tigers are 9-for-46 from 3-point range in the first two games.
Auburn plays Central Florida today at 5 p.m. in the Glenn Wilkes Classic in Daytona Beach. It plays IUPUI on Saturday and North Carolina State on Sunday.
Point guard DeWayne Reed leads the Tigers in scoring with 18 points per game. Lucas Hargrove, who scored 24 at Missouri State, averages 14.
Auburn women 83, Alabama A&M 56
Auburn tied a school record with 17 blocked shots and pulled away early Thursday at Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum.
Freshman Pascale West blocked seven shots and senior KeKe Carrier five as the Tigers equaled the record set twice previously.
Junior Alli Smalley led the Tigers (2-1) in scoring with 22 points, hitting 3-of-4 3-point attempts. Freshman Nicolle Thomas added 15 points and Carrier 10.
“It was nice to have that kind of offensive production," Auburn coach nell Fortner said. "We really jumped on them early with our offense and we kept shooting it well. We shot it really well from 3-point range, which was nice to see but we still have some work to do, especially on our free throws. I was really pleased with the way we executed tonight."
Auburn was 11-of-23 from the free throw line. In a loss to Temple in their previous game, the Tigers were a woeful 3-for-13.
