What You Need to Know:
* Georgia State fell to Auburn 83-65 on Monday night in the opening game of the Cancun Challenge at Auburn Arena.
* Seniors Jeremy Hollowell and Justin Seymour each scored 20 points to lead the Panthers.
* Georgia State will have a quick turnaround and face No. 15 Purdue on Friday night at 7 p.m. live on the Big Ten Network.
AUBURN, Ala.-Despite 20 points from both Jeremy Hollowell and Justin Seymour, Georgia State fell to Auburn 83-65 on Monday evening at Auburn Arena in the opening game of the Cancun Challenge.
In uncharacteristic fashion, Georgia State (1-1) was called for 31 fouls and turned the ball over 18 times, including 15 in the first half, as two Panthers fouled out late in the game.
After shooting just 39.3 percent in the first half, Auburn (2-0) made 14-of-25 in the second half and knocked down 16-of-20 from the free throw line to pull away late. Georgia State trailed by just nine with 4:08 to play before the Tigers finished the game on a 13-4 run.
“I'm disappointed because we came here to win the game tonight and we could not get it done against a very good team,” head coach Ron Hunter said. “We just could not find our rhythm and you have to credit Auburn for doing a good job taking away our strengths. I still know that we have a very good team and we will bounce back from this.”
Hollowell scored 10 points in each half, knocking down 8-of-8 from the free throw line while pulling down five rebounds and dishing out four assists.
Seymour, one of four transfers in the starting line-up, scored 15 of his 20 points in the second half, going 8-of-16 from the floor while knocking down three 3-pointers.
After recording a double-double in the opener, senior Willie Clayton finished with just six points and four rebounds in 20 minutes, picking up a pair of fouls early in the first half before heading to the bench.
Danjel Purifoy and Jared Harper led Auburn with 19 points each, while Mustapha Heron just missed a double-double with 10 points and eight rebounds.
Georgia State was looking for its first win over an SEC opponent since a five-point win over Auburn in 2003. The Panthers will get another shot when they face Mississippi State in early December.
Both teams got in foul trouble early as nine fouls were called before the first media timeout and Auburn was in the bonus just over five minutes into the game.
Trailing by two, Auburn used a 6-0 run late in the half to take a 28-24 lead with 3:45 to play and went into the locker room leading 35-30.
After Georgia State cut the deficit to just two, 39-37 just over four minutes into the second half, Auburn responded with an 8-0 run to take a 47-37 lead with 14:29 to play before a Seymour 3-pointer.
Jeff Thomas came off the bench to score eight points and grab four rebounds for Georgia State.
Georgia State will continue the Cancun Challenge Friday night at No. 15 Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind. Tip is set for 7 p.m. and can be seen live on the Big Ten Network.
