This wasn’t the Sunday Auburn basketball planned on.

The idea was to get some experience playing against a hostile crowd and do so in a game Auburn should win.

It didn’t.

Appalachian State built up a second-half lead over Auburn and never relinquished it as head coach Bruce Pearl’s team lost 69-64 in Boone, North Carolina.

Here are three takeaways from the loss.

Auburn got the road test it wanted.

So why was Auburn playing a true road game against Appalachian State? The idea was to give Auburn a test against a hostile crowd playing a team Auburn was expected to beat before it plays tougher road games in SEC play, including the SEC opener on Jan. 6 against Arkansas in Fayetteville.

Auburn got exactly what it wanted. The sold-out crowd in Boone, North Carolina, was phenomenal. Auburn’s offense had its most off-kilter game of the season and lacked much rhythm.

The crowd seemed to get to Auburn, especially in the second half and as Appalachian State went on a run to take a double-digit lead. Auburn’s offense never figured it out.

This was not the plan when Auburn scheduled this game. This may be a blemish that holds into Selection Sunday.

Aden Holloway can be human, too

The 5-star freshman was spectacular over Auburn’s first five games. He earned his way up into the starting lineup with spectacular shooting but an abnormal ability to command the floor as a point guard for a freshman.

He did not play like a freshman in those first five games.

But he is, in fact, human. And over the last two games, Holloway has struggled.

Holloway did not score at all against Virginia Tech on Wednesday and did not make a shot until three minutes into the second half against Appalachian State.

Holloway was 0-7 from the field and 0-2 on 3-pointers against Virginia Tech. He was 2-10 from the field and 0-6 on 3s against Appalachian State. Holloway still managed to be among Auburn’s more productive players against Virginia Tech despite not scoring as he provided good defense, only turned the ball over once and picked up a couple assists.

That was not the same against Appalachian State as Holloway got in foul trouble and made a few poor shot selections.

Auburn’s 3-point defense regresses

Auburn’s 3-point defense entered the day as the fifth-best in America and best in the SEC allowing about 23% per game. Much of that game against lesser competition where Pearl felt Auburn had better matchups.

This, clearly, was not a better matchup.

The Mountaineers used its 3-point shooting to both come back when Auburn went ahead 17-8 early and to give itself a double-digit lead in the second half.

For the game, Appalachian State shot 8-17.

And that comes juxtaposed against an Auburn offense that shot the ball terribly. Auburn finished the game shooting 3-27. Auburn had shot the deep ball well and defended it well to start the year. But this was a significant regression.

Auburn lost because of it.

Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at [email protected]