Florida State men's basketball defeats Auburn in preseason exhibition

Florida State men's basketball defeated the Auburn Tigers 82-71 in its first preseason exhibition game at Boutwell Auditorium in Birmingham, Alabama.

Freshman Marcis Ponder recorded a double-double in his debut, scoring 13 points and collecting 21 rebounds. Junior Kam Taylor led the Seminoles with 19 points and four steals, while Shon Abaev contributed 15 points and eight rebounds. Sebastian Rancik added 14 points to the scoring effort.

Despite trailing 32-37 at halftime, Florida State secured the win behind a strong second-half performance, outscoring Auburn 50-34. The Seminoles' defense held Auburn to 28.6% shooting from the field and 26.3% from three-point range.