AUBURN, Ala. – The backdrop for Thursday's contest between UIndy men's basketball and Auburn was undoubtedly evident – Stan Gouard faces his former coach Bruce Pearl for another exhibition match, his Greyhounds' upset win over Pearl's Tennessee Volunteers back in 2010 still fresh in everyone's memory.

The two even met earlier in the day at Auburn's Tip Off Club luncheon, sharing stories from their wildly successful Southern Indiana teams in the mid-1990s.

But what unfolded in front of 5,327 fans at Auburn Arena Thursday night needed no additional narratives. It stood on its own as an instant classic between two spirited squads.

Facing an unyielding UIndy team, the host Tigers escaped with a 114-109 victory in overtime, despite a pair of 30-point outbursts from two Greyhounds.

Senior Jordan Loyd went off for 33 points. 10 rebounds, four assists and a stellar 17-for-18 clip from the free throw line. Meanwhile, sophomore Eric Davidson netted 31 points behind a remarkable 8-for-13 night from long range.

Redshirt-sophomore Alex Etherington added 19 points for the Hounds, knocking down a trio of threes.

A major advantage Division I Auburn had was size, and it capitalized by finishing with a 54-28 advantage in points in the paint. That was a big reason for the Tigers' lofty 58-percent field goal shooting, compared to UIndy's healthy 47-percent mark.

Auburn's distinct post advantage was seen right from the opening tip, as 16 of the Tigers' first 17 points came in the paint. That, paired with a brief shooting slump from the Hounds, allowed the Tigers to build a 26-17 lead with just over nine minutes left in the period.

That's when sophomore Eric Davidson found his range.

UIndy sliced into the lead with a trio of triples in consecutive trips down the court, two from Davidson and one from Etherington. A few possessions later Davidson quickly pulled up and drained another off a feed from Loyd in transition, bringing UIndy within 35-34.

Davidson's final three of the half brought the Hounds' within one again at 42-41, and they took their first lead of the game shortly after when senior Jamel Crocker converted a lay-in on a near full-court pass from classmate Lucas Barker.

Loyd matched Davidson with 14 first-half points, capitalizing on his aggressive attack by going a perfect 8-for-8 from the charity stripe.

In the second half UIndy couldn't stay out of foul trouble, accumulating seven team fouls before the first media timeout to put Auburn in the bonus with a lot of time on the clock.

But the Hounds were resilient. Just minutes after falling down by seven points, Davidson dropped his eighth triple to put the Greyhounds up 67-65 with 13 minutes left.

When Loyd sank a three of his own a few possessions later the Greyhounds had their biggest lead of the game, 72-67, behind a 17-5 run.

Auburn swung back, however, namely crafty point guard Kareem Canty. The 6-1 guard went on an 8-0 run of his own to lift the Tigers back on top at 88-82.

Back came the Hounds, who erased the deficit and locked horns with the Tigers down the stretch it what was becoming an increasingly lively contest.

Down four, Loyd coolly knocked down all four of his freebies in the final minute, tying the game at 100-100. On the final possession Canty's potential game-winner rattled out to send the game to extra time.

In overtime Auburn took an early lead on its first possession after the tip and wouldn't relinquish it down the stretch. Perhaps the biggest basket of the game came with 31 seconds remaining, right after Davidson brought UIndy within one on a free throw. As the Auburn shotclock winded down Pearl called for a timeout, and out of the break Cinmeon Bowers dropped in a shot as the shotclock expired to push the lead up to 110-107. The Hounds came up empty on the ensuing trip down the court, effectively ending their chances.

Canty led the home squad with 24 points and seven assists, followed by Tyler Harris (20 points, 6 rebounds), Horace Spencer (17 points, 11 rebounds) and Bowers (17 points, 8 rebounds).

Senior Tyler Rambo contributed 12 points, two rebounds and two steals for UIndy, and Barker led the team with eight assists to go with eight points. Senior Joe Retic totaled nine points, three rebounds and two steals.

The Greyhounds start the regular season next weekend in Ashland, Ohio, facing Lake Erie Nov. 13 at 5:30 p.m. and host Ashland Nov. 14 at 3 p.m.