Auburn sophomore guard Bryce Brown scored 19 points and got double-figure support from three freshmen as the Tigers hung on for an 83-66 victory over North Florida on Friday night at Auburn Arena.

Forward Danjel Purifoy scored 14 points and guards Mustapha Heron -- Auburn's first five-star signee -- and Jared Harper had 10 each for the Tigers in their collegiate debuts.

North Florida, which won the Atlantic Sun regular-season title last season, got 16 points from center Romelo Banks and 11 from guard Garrett Sams. Guard Dallas Moore, who led the Atlantic Sun in scoring with a 19.7 average last season, scored only five points.

The Ospreys as a team struggled from the field early, shooting only 27.8 percent from the field (10 of 36) in the first half. They shot 57.1 percent in the second, however, and that helped them cut a 61-31 deficit to 14 points at 75-61 with over four minutes left in the game.

But the Tigers went on a little 4-0 spurt on two free throws by Purifoy and Harper's steal and layup to regain control.

The Tigers shot nearly 50 percent in the first 20 minutes (15 of 31) but cooled over the second half to finish the game hitting 41.7 percent. They hit 10 of 17 3-point tries in the first half but finished only 13 of 32 from behind the arc.

The game was tied at 19 approaching the midpoint of the first half when the Tigers went on a 12-2 run for a 33-21 lead with 5:14 left before halftime. The Ospreys cut that back to nine points twice, the last at 36-27, before the Tigers closed out the first half with a 13-3 rush to take a 49-30 lead to the locker room.