Auburn brushed away any concern that the ongoing federal and university investigations into the program would distract the Tigers by blasting Winthrop 119-85 Friday in Auburn, Ala.

Guard Mustapha Heron poured in 31 points on 11-of-17 shooting to lead the Tigers (4-1). The 6-foot-5 sophomore added 10 rebounds and three steals and was a perfect 7-of-7 from the free-throw line.

Junior guard Bryce Brown scored 21 points for Auburn, and he hit 6 of 9 3-point attempts to go along with three assists.

The Tigers shot 61.8 percent from the floor (42 of 68) and 56 percent from 3-point range (14 of 25).

Forward Jermaine Ukaegbu led the way for the Eagles (2-3) by scoring 12 points in the losing effort. The 6-6 junior added nine rebounds.

Auburn used an 8-0 run to go ahead 16-6, but Winthrop fought back to take a three-point lead with 6:51 left in the first half. The Tigers then scored 12 consecutive points to gain control of the contest.

Auburn increased its lead to 22 points by halftime and was not threatened in the second half.'

The Tigers reached triple digits with more than five minutes left in the game.

Next, the Tigers travel to Ohio where they will take on the University of Dayton Flyers at the UD Arena on Wednesday.

The Eagles welcome the South Carolina State University Bulldogs to the Winthrop Coliseum in Rock Hill, S.C. on Sunday.