AUBURN, Ala. — Auburn coach Jeff Lebo had plenty of praise Tuesday for his team after it set a season-high in points with a 94-78 victory against middling Alabama State.

He wasn't so enamored with the Tigers' defense.

"We're good at bringing out some shooting in other people," Lebo said. "I'll tell you that."

Auburn (6-6) shed the memory of Sunday's embarrassing 18-point home loss to Sam Houston State, shooting a season-best 62 percent and getting a career-high 18 points from forward Brendon Knox to get back to .500 for the season.

"We were very efficient tonight," Lebo said.

Here are some other notes and quotes ...

• The Tigers led by as many as 17 but couldn't shake a pesky Alabama State (2-8). The Hornets grabbed 16 offensive rebounds against Auburn's bigger lineup and eventually heated up from long range, missing their first 12 3-pointers before making 10 of their next 11.

• Leading scorer Menji Mundadi, despite early foul trouble, made four 3-pointers and scored a team-high 15, one of five Hornets in double figures.

• Key sequence in the game: Auburn breaks Alabama State's fullcourt press and gets the ball to Frankie Sullivan, who converted a three-point play after getting fouled on a layup with 1:47 remaining to make it a 13-point game. Sullivan, who finished with nine points, six rebounds and four assists, stole the ball on the next possession, leading to a fastbreak layup by Andre Malone that gave Auburn room to exhale at 83-78.

• The Tigers were 31-for-50 from the field. "I did like our poise offensively," Lebo said. "We didn't panic. We still got the ball inside. We still got high-percentage looks."

• DeWayne Reed scored 15, Lucas Hargrove 14 and Tay Waller 13 for the Tigers.

• Knox was very impressive. Lebo publicly criticized the 6-foot-8 senior after he scored only four points and fouled out in nine minutes against Sam Houston State on Sunday. Knox responded with his best offensive effort to date, going 5-for-6 from the field in the first half for 13 points, one better than his career-best against High Point last season. "The last few games I wasn't working hard enough to get the ball in the middle," Knox said. "This game I saw the opportunity because they were a small team. I took advantage of it and posted up."

• The foul-plagued center had only two in 25 minutes. "I wanted to use this game to redeem myself," Knox said. "Instead of putting my head down, I fought back."

• Don't get too excited about the win. Alabama State has yet to beat a Division I opponent this year. The Hornets have lost to Ole Miss by 37, Tulane by 27 and Arkansas by 25.

• Auburn if off until Dec. 29 when it hosts Charleston Southern at 8 p.m. ET.