Basketball News: 8-10-2026
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Dudley Dent
Aug 10, 2026, 8:05:06 AM (7 days ago) Aug 10
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Auburn Basketball News: 8-10-2026
Auburn's international signees 'await their eligibility clearance from the NCAA':
https://247sports.com/college/auburn/article/auburn-basketball-narcisse-ngoy-mantas-rubtaviius-eligibility-288785530/
Auburn defeats KK Mega Superbet in game one, 92-71:
https://auburntigers.com/news/2026/08/8/auburn-defeats-kk-mega-superbet-in-game-one-92-71
Auburn basketball breezes to exhibition win in Greece:
https://247sports.com/college/auburn/article/auburn-basketball-exhibition-greece-2026--288788991/
KK Mega Superbet defeats Auburn 70-68 in game two:
https://auburntigers.com/news/2026/08/9/kk-mega-superbet-defeats-auburn-70-68-in-game-two
Auburn hoops drops second game of Greece trip, 70-68:
https://247sports.com/college/auburn/article/auburn-tigers-basketball-greece-score-2026-288804371/
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Auburn's international signees 'await their eligibility clearance from the NCAA'
By Nathan King
Auburn 247
Auburn will have a relatively short lineup for its two exhibition games in Greece — due to injury and eligibility.
The team's two international signees — center Narcisse Ngoy and wing Mantas Rubstavicius — will not play in the two games Saturday and Sunday against Serbian pro team KK Mega Basket, Auburn announced. Creighton transfer forward Owen Freeman (foot) and Vanderbilt transfer guard George Kimble III (hand) are also unavailable.
Both Ngoy and Rubstavicius reported to campus in June and have been practicing with the team, but are not yet officially cleared for the 2026-27 season.
"Mantas Rubštavicius and Narcisse Ngoy will sit out Auburn's two exhibition games as they await their eligibility clearance from the NCAA," per Auburn's release.
Auburn's situation is not abnormal across college basketball, nor is Steven Pearl's decision to sit his international players. Arkansas, for example, did not play former Finnish professional Miikka Muurinen during its foreign tour in the Bahamas.
The NCAA has been hoping to crack down on the recent wave of international prospects in college basketball, including a memo in May that "actual and necessary expenses continue to be a factor in a prospect's eligibility, but as part of that broader effort to update preenrollment rules, the NCAA also identified several international leagues in which participation by a prospect is likely to result in violations of NCAA rules and a loss of eligibility."
Auburn is still operating under the expectation that Ngoy and Rubstavicius will play this coming season. Ngoy, 22, was the MVP of the French Elite 2 league this past season, averaging 10.7 points, 11.7 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game. He was selected in the second round of the NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers, who now own his draft rights, but Ngoy chose to honor his Auburn commitment and play for the Tigers.
Rubstavicius, 24, was Auburn's final offseason commitment in in May, and signed a month later. His name was floated for a long time as Auburn looked to add another wing scorer to the roster, and he was finally added to the mix after his season ended with Zalgiris in the Euro League.
Auburn will play KK Mega Basket at 11 a.m. CST on both Saturday and Sunday in Mykonos, Greece.
**************************
Auburn defeats KK Mega Superbet in game one, 92-71
Senior guard Kevin Overton led six players in double figures as the Auburn University men’s basketball team defeated KK Mega Superbet 92-71 on Saturday night at Ano Mera Indoor Hall.
Overton had 21 points and did not play for the final 15 minutes of the game with Auburn in control from start to finish.
Thomas Dowd added 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Tahaad Pettiford, Caleb Williams, Adam Olsen and Blake Muschalek all had 12. Pettiford also dished out a game-high nine assists to help Auburn make 16 3-pointers.
“A very physical and very competitive game,” Head Coach Steven Pearl said. “I thought for our first time out and not having four of our core guys, our guys competed and played hard. Superbet was very physical in the beginning, and we did a good job of handling it. There are a lot of things we need to clean up, but it’s August so overall I thought we did some good things.”
Playing FIBA rules which featured four 10-minute quarters, the Tigers led 27-19 after the first with Overton scoring eight and Pettiford seven. Adam Olsen came off the bench and hit back-to-back triples for six early points.
Superbet opened the second quarter on a 10-5 run and got within three at 32-29, but the Tigers responded with an 11-1 run, capped by a stepback 3-pointer from Muschalek which made the score 43-30 and forced a Superbet timeout.
The Tigers led 48-34 at halftime and were paced by Overton (12 points), Pettiford (10 points) and Thomas Dowd who had five points, nine rebounds and three assists at the break. Muschalek added seven off the bench.
Auburn came out on fire from deep to start the second half, knocking down three consecutive triples (two from Overton and one from Dowd) which forced Superbet into an early timeout with the Tigers leading 59-42.
Auburn put up 32 points in the third quarter and was in full control entering the four quarter up 80-56.
Center Bukky Oboye battled early foul trouble but finished the contest with six points, four rebounds and five blocks.
************************
Auburn basketball breezes to exhibition win in Greece
By Nathan King
Auburn 247
Down four rotation players, Auburn basketball still cruised to a 92-71 win over Serbian professional team KK Mega Superbet on Saturday in an exhibition in Mykonos, Greece.
Led by Kevin Overton's 21 points on 5-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc, Auburn notched six scorers in double figures. Troy transfer Thomas Dowd contributed 13 points, while Tahaad Pettiford, freshman Caleb Williams, South Alabama transfer Adam Olsen and walk-on Blake Muschalek each scored 12 points.
"I thought for our first time out, and not having four of our core guys, I thought our guys competed and played hard," head coach Steven Pearl said in a postgame video provided to reporters by Auburn sports information director Ted Feeley. "They started out very physical against us, and I thought our guys did a good job of handling that."
Auburn was without Creighton forward transfer Owen Freeman and Vanderbilt guard transfer George Kimble III due to respective foot and hand injuries, while international signees Narcisse Ngoy and Mantas Rubstavicius will not suit up with the team in Greece "as they await their eligibility clearance from the NCAA."
Auburn had 22 assists on 33 made baskets. Pettiford led with nine assists. Dowd, a senior transfer forward from Troy, stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points, 10 boards, four assists and a steal. He had four offensive boards in the first half alone.
"TD brings a different level of energy to the floor the second he gets in there," Pearl said. "He's immediately impactful. He came here to play the 3, and he's having to play the 5 and the 4 with our limited numbers. ... He's a bit of a Swiss Army Knife."
Santa Clara center transfer Bukky Oboye swatted five shots and improved as the game went on, Pearl said.
"He made some ridiculous plays in transition," Pearl said. "He can do some things not a lot of people can do, but it only works when he plays hard."
Auburn shot 41% from beyond the arc.
Playing 10-minute quarters, the Tigers led 48-34 at halftime and were up by as many as 28 points in the fourth quarter before Pearl sat the starters.
"Not having to play Tahaad, (Overton) or (Dowd) more than 27 minutes was key," Pearl said.
Auburn will play the same team at the same time Sunday in Mykonos, but the Tigers will not be operating the same way.
"Tomorrow we won't play our starters as much; we'll play our walk-ons a little bit," Pearl said. "Just conserve some energy and give our other guys some opportunities. Tonight was about putting our best eight out there and competing."
STATS
Kevin Overton: 21 pts, 5-10 3pt FG, 3 ast, 2 reb, 1 TO
Thomas Dowd: 13 pts, 10 reb, 3-4 3pt FG, 4 ast, 1 stl, 1 TO
Tahaad Pettiford: 12 pts, 2-7 3pt FG, 9 ast, 3 reb, 1 blk, 2 TO
Adam Olsen: 12 pts, 2-7 3pt FG, 7 reb, 1 stl, 2 TO
Caleb Williams: 12 pts, 2-6 3pt FG, 7 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl, 3 TO
Blake Muschalek: 12 pts, 2-4 3pt FG, 2 ast, 1 stl, 2 TO
Bukky Oboye: 6 pts, 4 reb, 5 blk, 2 TO
Simon Walker: 4 pts, 0-1 3pt FG, 1 reb, 1 ast, 1 TO
*************************
KK Mega Superbet defeats Auburn 70-68 in game two
Caleb Williams’ last second 3-point attempt was no good as KK Mega Superbet held on to defeat the Auburn men’s basketball team 70-68 on Sunday night at Ano Mera Indoor Hall in Mykonos.
In a game in which Tahaad Pettiford only played the first quarter and Kevin Overton sat for the final 17 minutes, the Tigers battled back from nine down in the fourth quarter and had a chance to win the game at the buzzer but the last second attempt was just off.
Bukky Oboye led Auburn with 17 points, while Adam Olsen and Kevin Overton joined him in double figures with 14 and 11 points, respectively. Thomas Dowd was a monster on the glass, finishing with 18 rebounds (nine on both ends) to go along with eight points and four assists.
“I thought KK Mega Superbet did a great job of coming out being aggressive and played physically,” Head Coach Steven Pearl said. “They did a good job of limiting us to one shot early in the game. We had way too many turnovers and without Tahaad and KO in the second half that was to be expected. I thought our guys competed, but we just didn’t make the shots we made last night.”
Pettiford led the first quarter efforts with five points, four rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block as the Tigers led 18-12 after one.
The two teams played evenly in the second quarter with Superbet outscoring Auburn 25-23, but an alley-oop from Willaim to Oboye as time expired gave Auburn a 41-37 halftime lead.
Superbet took its first lead since it was 3-2 early in the third quarter on a 3-pointer from Mihailo Boskovic to give them a 44-43 advantage. Superbet outscored Auburn 23-14 in the third and led 60-55 entering the fourth quarter.
The Serbian club scored the first four points of the fourth to gain its largest lead of nine (64-55) with 7:44 remaining which forced Auburn into a timeout.
Out of that timeout, The Tigers responded with a 7-0 run capped by a putback dunk from Oboye to force a Superbet timeout with 5:55 left with the score 64-62.
Superbet had one final possession with a 70-68 lead and Auburn got the defensive stop it needed with seven seconds remaining. Williams grabbed the rebound, raced up the court and had a good look from straight on to win the game, but it was just off as the two teams split their two games in Mykonos.
“It was a great experience. We have really good film on the guys who were able to play,” Pearl said. “Not having the depth we currently have on the roster showed during the second game. If we had those guys things would have been different, but I think our guys really competed defensively. That is a talented group we played against. We came out of here injury free so those are the types of things you are looking in these foreign trips.”
***********************
Auburn hoops drops second game of Greece trip, 70-68
By Nathan King
Auburn 247
After cruising to a 21-point win Saturday, Auburn basketball fell in its second and final game against Serbian professional team KK Mega Superbet on Sunday in Mykonos, Greece, 70-68.
Steven Pearl said ahead of time he would rest some of his starters, and that was primarily the two veteran guards. Tahaad Pettiford played only the first quarter, and Kevin Overton did not play in the final 17 minutes.
Pearl said Pettiford "tweaked his knee" in the first half and could have returned, but Auburn kept him on the bench out of caution.
"Mega did a great job of coming out and playing aggressive and physically," Pearl said in a postgame video provided to reporters by Auburn sports information director Ted Feeley. "They did a really good job of limiting us to one shot early in the game. We had way too many turnovers with 22. Without Tahaad and KO in the second half, that was to be expected."
Auburn was also without Creighton forward transfer Owen Freeman and Vanderbilt guard transfer George Kimble III due to respective foot and hand injuries, while international signees Narcisse Ngoy and Mantas Rubstavicius will not suit up with the team in Greece "as they await their eligibility clearance from the NCAA."
Thomas Dowd scored 8 points and grabbed a whopping 18 rebounds. Adam Olsen added 14 points and made 4-of-7 triples. Big man Bukky Oboye led Auburn in scoring with 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting, and added eight rebounds and four blocks.
"Bukky responded to me challenging him a little bit," Pearl said. "I called him out, and he did a great job tonight of playing through fatigue. He played 32 minutes."
Auburn was down by 9 in the second half and rallied to have a chance late, but came up short. The Tigers shot just 8-of-34 from deep after hitting 41% of their triples the day before. Overton went 0-for-6 from beyond the arc and had five turnovers.
"Our guys competed, but we just didn't make the shots we did last night," Pearl said. "We didn't execute like we did the night before."
Auburn now returns home after a six-day trip to Greece.
"It was great," Pearl said of the trip. "We have really good film of the guys we were able to play. Obviously, not having the depth we have currently on the roster, it showed in the second game. If we had Narcisse and Mantas and George and Owen, things probably would have been different."
STATS
Bukky Oboye: 17 pts, 7-9 FG, 8 reb, 4 blk, 1 TO
Adam Olsen: 14 pts, 4-7 3pt FG, 7 reb, 1 stl, 2 TO
Kevin Overton: 11 pts, 0-6 3pt FG, 3 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl, 5 TO
Thomas Dowd: 8 pts, 1-5 3pt FG, 18 reb, 4 ast, 4 TO
Caleb Williams: 6 pts, 1-5 3pt FG, 4 ast, 4 reb, 2 stl, 6 TO
Tahaad Pettiford: 5 pts, 4 ast, 3 reb, 1 stl, 1 blk, 1 TO
Blake Muschalek: 5 pts, 5-5 FT, 3 reb, 2 ast, 3 TO
Simon Walker: 2 pts, 1 ast
Auburn's international signees 'await their eligibility clearance from the NCAA':
https://247sports.com/college/auburn/article/auburn-basketball-narcisse-ngoy-mantas-rubtaviius-eligibility-288785530/
Auburn defeats KK Mega Superbet in game one, 92-71:
https://auburntigers.com/news/2026/08/8/auburn-defeats-kk-mega-superbet-in-game-one-92-71
Auburn basketball breezes to exhibition win in Greece:
https://247sports.com/college/auburn/article/auburn-basketball-exhibition-greece-2026--288788991/
KK Mega Superbet defeats Auburn 70-68 in game two:
https://auburntigers.com/news/2026/08/9/kk-mega-superbet-defeats-auburn-70-68-in-game-two
Auburn hoops drops second game of Greece trip, 70-68:
https://247sports.com/college/auburn/article/auburn-tigers-basketball-greece-score-2026-288804371/
************************
Auburn's international signees 'await their eligibility clearance from the NCAA'
By Nathan King
Auburn 247
Auburn will have a relatively short lineup for its two exhibition games in Greece — due to injury and eligibility.
The team's two international signees — center Narcisse Ngoy and wing Mantas Rubstavicius — will not play in the two games Saturday and Sunday against Serbian pro team KK Mega Basket, Auburn announced. Creighton transfer forward Owen Freeman (foot) and Vanderbilt transfer guard George Kimble III (hand) are also unavailable.
Both Ngoy and Rubstavicius reported to campus in June and have been practicing with the team, but are not yet officially cleared for the 2026-27 season.
"Mantas Rubštavicius and Narcisse Ngoy will sit out Auburn's two exhibition games as they await their eligibility clearance from the NCAA," per Auburn's release.
Auburn's situation is not abnormal across college basketball, nor is Steven Pearl's decision to sit his international players. Arkansas, for example, did not play former Finnish professional Miikka Muurinen during its foreign tour in the Bahamas.
The NCAA has been hoping to crack down on the recent wave of international prospects in college basketball, including a memo in May that "actual and necessary expenses continue to be a factor in a prospect's eligibility, but as part of that broader effort to update preenrollment rules, the NCAA also identified several international leagues in which participation by a prospect is likely to result in violations of NCAA rules and a loss of eligibility."
Auburn is still operating under the expectation that Ngoy and Rubstavicius will play this coming season. Ngoy, 22, was the MVP of the French Elite 2 league this past season, averaging 10.7 points, 11.7 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game. He was selected in the second round of the NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers, who now own his draft rights, but Ngoy chose to honor his Auburn commitment and play for the Tigers.
Rubstavicius, 24, was Auburn's final offseason commitment in in May, and signed a month later. His name was floated for a long time as Auburn looked to add another wing scorer to the roster, and he was finally added to the mix after his season ended with Zalgiris in the Euro League.
Auburn will play KK Mega Basket at 11 a.m. CST on both Saturday and Sunday in Mykonos, Greece.
**************************
Auburn defeats KK Mega Superbet in game one, 92-71
Senior guard Kevin Overton led six players in double figures as the Auburn University men’s basketball team defeated KK Mega Superbet 92-71 on Saturday night at Ano Mera Indoor Hall.
Overton had 21 points and did not play for the final 15 minutes of the game with Auburn in control from start to finish.
Thomas Dowd added 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Tahaad Pettiford, Caleb Williams, Adam Olsen and Blake Muschalek all had 12. Pettiford also dished out a game-high nine assists to help Auburn make 16 3-pointers.
“A very physical and very competitive game,” Head Coach Steven Pearl said. “I thought for our first time out and not having four of our core guys, our guys competed and played hard. Superbet was very physical in the beginning, and we did a good job of handling it. There are a lot of things we need to clean up, but it’s August so overall I thought we did some good things.”
Playing FIBA rules which featured four 10-minute quarters, the Tigers led 27-19 after the first with Overton scoring eight and Pettiford seven. Adam Olsen came off the bench and hit back-to-back triples for six early points.
Superbet opened the second quarter on a 10-5 run and got within three at 32-29, but the Tigers responded with an 11-1 run, capped by a stepback 3-pointer from Muschalek which made the score 43-30 and forced a Superbet timeout.
The Tigers led 48-34 at halftime and were paced by Overton (12 points), Pettiford (10 points) and Thomas Dowd who had five points, nine rebounds and three assists at the break. Muschalek added seven off the bench.
Auburn came out on fire from deep to start the second half, knocking down three consecutive triples (two from Overton and one from Dowd) which forced Superbet into an early timeout with the Tigers leading 59-42.
Auburn put up 32 points in the third quarter and was in full control entering the four quarter up 80-56.
Center Bukky Oboye battled early foul trouble but finished the contest with six points, four rebounds and five blocks.
************************
Auburn basketball breezes to exhibition win in Greece
By Nathan King
Auburn 247
Down four rotation players, Auburn basketball still cruised to a 92-71 win over Serbian professional team KK Mega Superbet on Saturday in an exhibition in Mykonos, Greece.
Led by Kevin Overton's 21 points on 5-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc, Auburn notched six scorers in double figures. Troy transfer Thomas Dowd contributed 13 points, while Tahaad Pettiford, freshman Caleb Williams, South Alabama transfer Adam Olsen and walk-on Blake Muschalek each scored 12 points.
"I thought for our first time out, and not having four of our core guys, I thought our guys competed and played hard," head coach Steven Pearl said in a postgame video provided to reporters by Auburn sports information director Ted Feeley. "They started out very physical against us, and I thought our guys did a good job of handling that."
Auburn was without Creighton forward transfer Owen Freeman and Vanderbilt guard transfer George Kimble III due to respective foot and hand injuries, while international signees Narcisse Ngoy and Mantas Rubstavicius will not suit up with the team in Greece "as they await their eligibility clearance from the NCAA."
Auburn had 22 assists on 33 made baskets. Pettiford led with nine assists. Dowd, a senior transfer forward from Troy, stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points, 10 boards, four assists and a steal. He had four offensive boards in the first half alone.
"TD brings a different level of energy to the floor the second he gets in there," Pearl said. "He's immediately impactful. He came here to play the 3, and he's having to play the 5 and the 4 with our limited numbers. ... He's a bit of a Swiss Army Knife."
Santa Clara center transfer Bukky Oboye swatted five shots and improved as the game went on, Pearl said.
"He made some ridiculous plays in transition," Pearl said. "He can do some things not a lot of people can do, but it only works when he plays hard."
Auburn shot 41% from beyond the arc.
Playing 10-minute quarters, the Tigers led 48-34 at halftime and were up by as many as 28 points in the fourth quarter before Pearl sat the starters.
"Not having to play Tahaad, (Overton) or (Dowd) more than 27 minutes was key," Pearl said.
Auburn will play the same team at the same time Sunday in Mykonos, but the Tigers will not be operating the same way.
"Tomorrow we won't play our starters as much; we'll play our walk-ons a little bit," Pearl said. "Just conserve some energy and give our other guys some opportunities. Tonight was about putting our best eight out there and competing."
STATS
Kevin Overton: 21 pts, 5-10 3pt FG, 3 ast, 2 reb, 1 TO
Thomas Dowd: 13 pts, 10 reb, 3-4 3pt FG, 4 ast, 1 stl, 1 TO
Tahaad Pettiford: 12 pts, 2-7 3pt FG, 9 ast, 3 reb, 1 blk, 2 TO
Adam Olsen: 12 pts, 2-7 3pt FG, 7 reb, 1 stl, 2 TO
Caleb Williams: 12 pts, 2-6 3pt FG, 7 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl, 3 TO
Blake Muschalek: 12 pts, 2-4 3pt FG, 2 ast, 1 stl, 2 TO
Bukky Oboye: 6 pts, 4 reb, 5 blk, 2 TO
Simon Walker: 4 pts, 0-1 3pt FG, 1 reb, 1 ast, 1 TO
*************************
KK Mega Superbet defeats Auburn 70-68 in game two
Caleb Williams’ last second 3-point attempt was no good as KK Mega Superbet held on to defeat the Auburn men’s basketball team 70-68 on Sunday night at Ano Mera Indoor Hall in Mykonos.
In a game in which Tahaad Pettiford only played the first quarter and Kevin Overton sat for the final 17 minutes, the Tigers battled back from nine down in the fourth quarter and had a chance to win the game at the buzzer but the last second attempt was just off.
Bukky Oboye led Auburn with 17 points, while Adam Olsen and Kevin Overton joined him in double figures with 14 and 11 points, respectively. Thomas Dowd was a monster on the glass, finishing with 18 rebounds (nine on both ends) to go along with eight points and four assists.
“I thought KK Mega Superbet did a great job of coming out being aggressive and played physically,” Head Coach Steven Pearl said. “They did a good job of limiting us to one shot early in the game. We had way too many turnovers and without Tahaad and KO in the second half that was to be expected. I thought our guys competed, but we just didn’t make the shots we made last night.”
Pettiford led the first quarter efforts with five points, four rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block as the Tigers led 18-12 after one.
The two teams played evenly in the second quarter with Superbet outscoring Auburn 25-23, but an alley-oop from Willaim to Oboye as time expired gave Auburn a 41-37 halftime lead.
Superbet took its first lead since it was 3-2 early in the third quarter on a 3-pointer from Mihailo Boskovic to give them a 44-43 advantage. Superbet outscored Auburn 23-14 in the third and led 60-55 entering the fourth quarter.
The Serbian club scored the first four points of the fourth to gain its largest lead of nine (64-55) with 7:44 remaining which forced Auburn into a timeout.
Out of that timeout, The Tigers responded with a 7-0 run capped by a putback dunk from Oboye to force a Superbet timeout with 5:55 left with the score 64-62.
Superbet had one final possession with a 70-68 lead and Auburn got the defensive stop it needed with seven seconds remaining. Williams grabbed the rebound, raced up the court and had a good look from straight on to win the game, but it was just off as the two teams split their two games in Mykonos.
“It was a great experience. We have really good film on the guys who were able to play,” Pearl said. “Not having the depth we currently have on the roster showed during the second game. If we had those guys things would have been different, but I think our guys really competed defensively. That is a talented group we played against. We came out of here injury free so those are the types of things you are looking in these foreign trips.”
***********************
Auburn hoops drops second game of Greece trip, 70-68
By Nathan King
Auburn 247
After cruising to a 21-point win Saturday, Auburn basketball fell in its second and final game against Serbian professional team KK Mega Superbet on Sunday in Mykonos, Greece, 70-68.
Steven Pearl said ahead of time he would rest some of his starters, and that was primarily the two veteran guards. Tahaad Pettiford played only the first quarter, and Kevin Overton did not play in the final 17 minutes.
Pearl said Pettiford "tweaked his knee" in the first half and could have returned, but Auburn kept him on the bench out of caution.
"Mega did a great job of coming out and playing aggressive and physically," Pearl said in a postgame video provided to reporters by Auburn sports information director Ted Feeley. "They did a really good job of limiting us to one shot early in the game. We had way too many turnovers with 22. Without Tahaad and KO in the second half, that was to be expected."
Auburn was also without Creighton forward transfer Owen Freeman and Vanderbilt guard transfer George Kimble III due to respective foot and hand injuries, while international signees Narcisse Ngoy and Mantas Rubstavicius will not suit up with the team in Greece "as they await their eligibility clearance from the NCAA."
Thomas Dowd scored 8 points and grabbed a whopping 18 rebounds. Adam Olsen added 14 points and made 4-of-7 triples. Big man Bukky Oboye led Auburn in scoring with 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting, and added eight rebounds and four blocks.
"Bukky responded to me challenging him a little bit," Pearl said. "I called him out, and he did a great job tonight of playing through fatigue. He played 32 minutes."
Auburn was down by 9 in the second half and rallied to have a chance late, but came up short. The Tigers shot just 8-of-34 from deep after hitting 41% of their triples the day before. Overton went 0-for-6 from beyond the arc and had five turnovers.
"Our guys competed, but we just didn't make the shots we did last night," Pearl said. "We didn't execute like we did the night before."
Auburn now returns home after a six-day trip to Greece.
"It was great," Pearl said of the trip. "We have really good film of the guys we were able to play. Obviously, not having the depth we have currently on the roster, it showed in the second game. If we had Narcisse and Mantas and George and Owen, things probably would have been different."
STATS
Bukky Oboye: 17 pts, 7-9 FG, 8 reb, 4 blk, 1 TO
Adam Olsen: 14 pts, 4-7 3pt FG, 7 reb, 1 stl, 2 TO
Kevin Overton: 11 pts, 0-6 3pt FG, 3 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl, 5 TO
Thomas Dowd: 8 pts, 1-5 3pt FG, 18 reb, 4 ast, 4 TO
Caleb Williams: 6 pts, 1-5 3pt FG, 4 ast, 4 reb, 2 stl, 6 TO
Tahaad Pettiford: 5 pts, 4 ast, 3 reb, 1 stl, 1 blk, 1 TO
Blake Muschalek: 5 pts, 5-5 FT, 3 reb, 2 ast, 3 TO
Simon Walker: 2 pts, 1 ast
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