Varez Ward scored 20 points to lead five players in double figures as Auburn used a surge at the start of the second half to pull away from visiting Nicholls State 80-57 on Friday.

Auburn (3-0) led by six at halftime, but took control in the first six minutes of the second half. Nicholls State (1-5) trailed just 41-37 after Chris Talkington, who had 20 points, hit a jumper at the 18:46 mark.

The Tigers weren’t fazed as they hit five consecutive field goals, two on 3-pointers by Allen Payne (11 points) and Frankie Sullivan (13), to cap a 13-0 spurt and go up 54-37. During that stretch, the Colonels were scoreless for more than four minutes.

The Tigers weren’t done, stretching the lead to as many as 24 on a pair of free throws by Ward with a little over seven minutes left.

Trevon Lewis, who came in as the Colonels leading scorer, chipped in with 15 points, but struggled from the field, hitting only 6-of-20 shots.