Auburn Basketball Falls In Second Matchup Against Overseas Professional Team

Head coach Steven Pearl and his team get some valuable experience overseas despite losing their second game against a team from Serbia.

Auburn splits an overseas series with KK Mega Superbet on Sunday afternoon, losing 70-68. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

On Saturday, the Auburn Tigers took down KK Mega Superbet, a Serbian professional team, 92-71, in their first exhibition matchup of the year. On Sunday, the team fell in the second matchup of the doubleheader, 70-68. 

Ahead of the game, head coach Steven Pearl decided to limit the production of the team’s two top guards, Tahaad Pettiford and Kevin Overton, as Pettiford played just the first quarter, while Overton sat for 17 of the 20 minutes in the second half. This decision definitely made things more difficult for the Tigers in the short-term, though it will almost certainly aid the Tigers later on down the road.

“I thought KK Mega Superbet did a great job of coming out being aggressive and played physically,” 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.”

Troy transfer Thomas Dowd and Santa Clara transfer Bukky Oboye led the Tigers in total time on the floor with 33 and 32 minutes played, respectively. Dowd only scored eight, but pulled in a ridiculous 18 rebounds as he continues to figure out his role with the team. Oboye, on the other hand, pulled in eight rebounds but scored a team-high 17 points.

Adam Olsen, a transfer from South Alabama, was second on the Tigers’ scoring chart with 14 points over just under 30 minutes played, hauling in seven rebounds to boot. He also made four of his seven three-point attempts, the most of any Tiger in that matchup. Notably, Kevin Overton, a usual threat from beyond the arc, did not make any of his six three-point attempts.

Pearl, despite the loss, is happy with the development that came from his team’s trip to Greece, where the doubleheader was played.

“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 for in these foreign trips.”

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