Auburn wasn’t expected to — and didn’t — win Wednesday at Xavier.

The Tigers did, however, look like the better team in the final 17 minutes, outscoring the Musketeers by 13, but still losing, 81-74.

The big, but unrewarded push at the end is something Auburn coach Jeff Lebo is looking to build from heading into today’s game against Louisiana-Monroe. Tip time is set for 1 p.m. at Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum.

“We did some good things,” Lebo said. “We were quick and active and some of the stuff worked because I though Xavier was a little fatigued at that point. I liked our ability to compete at the end.

“I think our kids gained a little bit of confidence in the last 10 minutes of the game.”

The biggest source of Lebo’s confidence came from freshman Frankie Sullivan, who scored a career-high 23 points off the bench. He scored 17 in Auburn’s feel-good second half, and, at one point, had 13 consecutive points.

“Frankie was terrific on the road for the first time as a freshman,” Lebo said. “Defensively, he still needs some work.”

Auburn, as a whole, still needs some work with less than a month before SEC play tips off. Yes, the Tigers were better in the second half Wednesday, but the end result was still a loss, Auburn’s third straight.

A dose of Louisiana-Monroe might be what Auburn needs, as the Warhawks are coming off a 38-point loss to Tennessee Tech. The Warhawks were picked to finish fifth out of six teams in the West division of the Sun Belt.

Earlier in the season, Louisiana-Monroe also lost by 29 points to Mississippi State, who was a preseason pick to finish just ahead of Auburn in the SEC West.

Auburn’s lack of size and production in the paint, aside from Korvotney Barber, will continue to provide mismatch concerns throughout the season. In this case, the Warhawks speedy backcourt — led by Jarvis Hill — and its ability to exploit Auburn’s biggest hole caught Lebo’s attention.

“We go from a big, strong team to a fast, quick team,” Lebo said. “They are small, and they beat you off the bounce.

“We have to do a good job of keeping them out of the paint because they do have some quickness in the backcourt.”

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