Earnest Ross scored 22 points and Auburn shook off a slow start Sunday, downing Middle Tennessee State 68-66 at home for its first victory of the season in the Global Sports Hoops Showcase.

The Tigers (1-3) started the season with three consecutive losses, including defeats on Friday to Samford and Saturday to Campbell in the first two days of the showcase.

The Blue Raiders (2-3) scored the game’s first seven points and led 30-14 with 7:48 left in the first half, before the Tigers closed to within 34-31 at halftime. Auburn then took control in the opening moments of the second half, taking a 37-35 lead on Adrian Forbes’ dunk with 17:20 left.

Auburn opened the final 20 minutes with a 19-7 run to take a 50-41 advantage. Middle Tennessee State rallied to tie the game at 60-60 on Jason Jones’ basket with 3:50 to go. Ross, a sophomore guard who finished with a career high in points, hit a 3-pointer 34 seconds later to put the Tigers ahead to stay at 63-60.

Rob Chubb came off the bench to score 13 points for Auburn. Kenny Gabriel led the Tigers with 11 rebounds. James Washington III led Middle Tennessee State with 25 points. J.T. Sutton added 17 for the Blue Raiders.

Auburn plays host to Jacksonville on Saturday. Middle Tennessee State plays host to Evansville on Wednesday.