Auburn basketball took a risk back in 2020.

The Tigers reached an agreement on a three-game series with Appalachian State, promising to play one contest against the Mountaineers on the road in Boone, North Carolina. It's a big deal for a Sun Belt team to host a high-major squad like Auburn, and the matchup between the two programs finally arrived Sunday.

Appalachian State's fans were ready, providing an exciting environment in the Holmes Convocation Center. The Mountaineers themselves were ready, too, not backing down against a more talented opponent and seizing an opportunity in which the Tigers experienced big-time issues on the offensive end.

Auburn struggled to get the lid off the basket for much of its 69-64 loss against Appalachian State. The Tigers made 39.4% of their shots from the field and missed all but three of their 27 3-point attempts, leading to fans storming the court once the game went final.

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No KD Johnson in first half

After fouling out of Auburn's last game, senior guard KD Johnson didn't play for the first 20 minutes versus the Mountaineers. Johnson came in averaging 7.3 points and 1.5 rebounds per game.

Johnson did check in after the break. He missed all three of his field goals and finished scoreless, though he notched two rebounds, an assist and a steal in eight minutes.

Offensive glass doesn't matter

The Tigers dominated the offensive glass, finishing with a 20-6 advantage. That didn't seem to matter much, though, as Auburn's struggles to get a bucket persisted despite the extra opportunities. The Tigers put up 15 more shots than Appalachian State, but only made four more baskets.

Johni Broome paced Auburn with four offensive rebounds. He had 13 total boards and coupled that with 21 points, as the All-SEC big man was about the only thing working offensively. He did, however, miss six of his seven shots from the foul line.

Backcourt issues

Auburn's starting backcourt of Aden Holloway and Denver Jones combined for eight points on 13.3% shooting. Jones missed all five of his field goals, and Holloway couldn't get any of his six 3-pointers to go down.

What's next

Auburn has nearly a week off before it returns for a matchup with Indiana on Dec. 9. The game will take place on a neutral floor at State Farm Arena in Atlanta as part of Holiday Hoopsgiving.

Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on Twitter @rich_silva18.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn basketball struggles, loses to Appalachian State on road