AUBURN, Ala. – A strong first half paced No. 19 Auburn past Colgate 91-62 on Monday night in the regional round of the Legends Classic at Auburn Arena.
 
Fresh off scoring 116 points in a win three days ago, Auburn showed no signs of slowing down on Monday night. The Tigers connected on their first three attempts from beyond the arc, with two from Samir Doughty opening a 15-2 lead six minutes into the game.  
 
Auburn brought the crowd to their feet early and often after shooting a blistering 63 percent (22-of-35) from the field and 53 percent (8-of-15) from beyond the arc in the first half. Keegan Records was a bright spot early for the Raiders, tallying two points, two steals, and five rebounds in eight minutes off the bench.
 
Records hauled in an offensive rebound and turned it into two second-chance points with a layup to trim Auburn's lead to 34-17 midway through the opening half. But another 3-pointer from Doughty capped a 13-2 run for the Tigers en route to a 53-21 score at the half.
 
Colgate tipped the scales in the second half and found a better rhythm on both ends of the floor. The Raiders shot over 50 percent from the field and outscored Auburn by three 41-38 over the final 20 minutes.
 
This came after a 3-pointer from Doughty ignited a 13-0 second-half start for Auburn. Will Rayman halted the run with his second 3-pointer and after going 1-for-11 from beyond the arc in the first half, Rayman, Burns, and Jack Ferguson rattled off three in a row in an 11-0 run for the Raiders midway through the period.
 
Burns connected on four of his last five field goals. A steal on the defensive end led to a 3-pointer in transition to push Colgate's run to 19-4 and cut the Auburn lead to 73-43. 

Rapolas Ivanauskas reached double figures with back-to-back inside buckets and Ryan Moffatt registered the final four points, but the second-half surge was not enough as Auburn secured the 91-62 victory to improve to 5-0 for the first time since 2004. 

BOTTOM LINE
Auburn 91, Colgate 62

QUOTES
Head Coach Matt Langel
On the slow start:
"Auburn played in the Final Four last season. Their program clearly demands a mentality and intensity that knocked us on our heels and didn't let us find a rhythm to the game.

"Combine that with Auburn making almost all of their shots early and that leads to the crater we found ourselves in at halftime."
 
On the better second half:
"I am not sure if there is one thing to point to in noting the change in the second half. Surely Auburn's approach changed some with such a significant lead, but we settled into the game better and played more like we are capable of playing on both ends of the floor.
 
"I was encouraged to see us play more for and with each other in the second half instead of just against Auburn like we did in the first 20 minutes."
 
On three straight Power Five opponents:
"It is not ideal to play three straight games like this at this point in the season but that's the way the schedule worked out this year. The hope is that we learn from being in environments like tonight. And that getting the various experiences we have over the last few weeks helps us understand who we are and what we can do, but also what we cannot do if we are going to be the best team that we can be."
 
 GAME NOTES

• Burns has racked up double figures in each of the first four games.
• His 18 points Monday were a season high.
• Records played 19 minutes and posted four points, six rebounds, and two steals.
• Four of his six rebounds were offensive.
• Ivanauskas scored 12 points and finished with four rebounds and three assists.
• Colgate outscored Auburn 41-38 in the second half.
• Their 41 points in the second half were a season high. 
• The Raiders in the final 20 minutes shot over 50 percent from the field, 30 percent from beyond the arc, and outrebounded the Tigers 19-17.
• Colgate posted six offensive boards, which led to 10 second-chance points in the second half.
• Nine Raiders in total found the score column, including season highs from Burns, Moffatt, and Records.

UP NEXT
Colgate returns home Thursday to face Cortland. Tip-off from Cotterell Court is set for 7 p.m., with Patriot League Network carrying the live stream.