Late night so far, so I'll just post my lede for tomorrow's game story and add a few comments:

By Andy Bitter
abitter@ledger-enquirer.com

AUBURN, Ala. — Not even a buy-one, get-one-free bargain could convince many more than a few hundred fans to attend Auburn’s oddly-timed non-conference game against Texas-Pan American on Tuesday.

The Tigers barely showed up themselves.

Auburn didn’t breathe easy until UTPA guard Nick Weiermiller’s 25-footer drew back iron just before time expired, allowing the Tigers to escape with a less-than-impressive 66-63 victory against the Division I independent Broncs at Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum.

“We were just happy to survive that one,” Auburn head coach Jeff Lebo said. “It was not pretty by any stretch.”

DeWayne Reed scored 14 points and Lucas Hargrove added 10 for Auburn (13-7), which looked nothing like the team that traveled to Arkansas last weekend and routed the Razorbacks by 22.

Some quick thoughts ...

• Positively brutal game to watch, even though it was so close. Auburn shot 25 percent in the second half and went 2-for-14 from 3-point range. How you can do so well at Arkansas and so poorly against this team is beyond me.

• Another no-so-great night at the line for the Tigers, who were 15-for-27. Let's let Lebo have the final word on that stat: “The free throw line just about bit us again. Fifty-five percent is just terrible. It’s terrible is what it is. It’s just terrible.” Actually, it's only a shade below the team's 59.4 average, but who's counting?

• Keep in mind that UTPA was playing without leading scorer and rebounder Emmanuel Jones, who was injured. Who knows how he could have impacted the final margin.

• Rasheem Barrett was a quote machine afterward. Some samplings: “As the game went on, we just got nonchalant, basically. We just started taking them for granted, looking at the scoreboard how it was and playing real, real sloppy.” AND: “For me, I feel like it was a big letdown. I’m not going to let my teammates get comfortable with this win, because we skated by.”

• Announced attendance? 3,283. Actual attendance, I'd say less than a 1,000. This is a women's basketball school after all.

• Auburn's got Vanderbilt up next in a 2 p.m. EST game Saturday at Beard-Eaves-Memorial Mausoleum ... err, Coliseum. Four of the Tigers' next five games are at home. They'll need to play better if they don't want their SEC season to go into the tank.