Auburn basketball senior Lior Berman suffered ACL injury against Mississippi State
AUBURN — Fifth-year senior Lior Berman is out for the remainder of the season with an injured ACL.
Berman suffered the injury in Auburn basketball's win over Mississippi State on Saturday. The former walk-on was going up for a shot under the basket before he fell to the floor favoring his left leg. Berman remained on the ground before trainers helped him to his feet and into the locker room.
A Mountain Brook High School product who's been with the Tigers since 2019, Berman was put on scholarship ahead of the 2023-24 season. He's appeared in 86 games at Auburn, totaling 155 points in 614 minutes. He's a career 38.2% shooter from 3-point range.
Berman "will consult with Auburn Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Benton Emblom in the coming days," per an Auburn release.
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"Our heart truly breaks for Lior," Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said in a statement Sunday. "He has made a huge impact in this program resulting in historical success over the last five years. At a time when he had worked his way into a major role on this year’s team, the Lord had a different plan.
"I promise you, Lior’s faith and conviction will allow him to pursue his dream of playing professionally next year in Israel. Our team may have won a game yesterday, but we suffered a huge loss.”
Berman had seen his role grow as of late, averaging 10.7 minutes over his last three games. He averaged 5.9 in the season's first 25 contests. Berman had made six of his last eight shots, including two against Mississippi State.
"I want to give thanks to my coaches, staff, administration, teammates and the Auburn Family," Berman said. "I have loved every second here and wouldn’t trade it for anything. Let’s finish this season with a bang. War Eagle!"
Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rich_silva18.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Lior Berman injury update: Auburn wing hurt ACL vs. Mississippi State
