After losing to in-state rival Alabama, the Tigers looked to bounce back with a win over the Missouri Tigers. Head coach Bruce Pearl mentioned that this game would be a crucial win for Auburn, and his Tigers accepted that challenge, winning 89-56 in dominant fashion.
“I don’t like talking about a ‘must-win”...I wanted my guys to understand that. They did,” said Pearl. “I was really proud of the guys because they’ve worked so hard the past couple of weeks – we’ve played better with no reward.”
Auburn came out swinging, claiming an early lead over Missouri. By the end of the game, the Tigers held Mizzou to 56 points.
“If we hold teams to under 73 points, we’re 14-1,” said Pearl. “So we said, ‘Can we hold Missouri to under 73? If we do, we’ll win the game.’ It’s not often that you can give your guys a guarantee like that.”
In terms of performance, this game was a huge win for Auburn. The Tigers set a season-high for three-point shooting, going 9-of-18 (50%), and for rebounding, with 48 total. Auburn also jumped eight spots to No. 18 in national KenPom rankings, which helps the program’s outlook for the NCAA Tournament.
“This helps, but we’ve still got work to do,” Pearl said.
Johni Broome led the team with 20 points: eight field goals, four free throws, and two assists. Allen Flanigan had 16 points: six field goals, one three-pointer, and three free throws. K.D. Johnson followed with 15 points: five field goals, four three-point field goals, and one free throw.
“We just took whatever they gave us,” said Johnson. “It went in tonight, and we got the dub.”
Efficiency was vital for Auburn to secure the win. The Tigers were more consistent in the paint and at the three-point line. Auburn was 48% from the field (32-of-66) and 50% from three (9-of-18), while Missouri had 32% from the field (18-of-57) and 28% from three (5-of-22).
Flanigan and Johnson were dominant in the paint. Flanigan had 86% (6-of-7) for field goals, 50% (1-of-2) from behind the three-point arc and went 3-for-3 in his free throws. Johnson had a 56% (5-of-9) field goal percentage and shot 67% (4-of-6) from three.
“We had nine (threes). It felt like we had 19. It was like, 'I can’t believe it,'” Pearl said. “We got open shots. The ball moved really well.”
On the defensive side, Auburn played strong. The team ended the night with 48 total rebounds: 32 defensive and 16 offensive. Auburn had five blocks and nine steals compared to Missouri’s four and six, respectively.
Cardwell had three blocks, added to Broome and Zep Jasper's one apiece. Broome had ten rebounds: five offensive and five defensive. Jaylin Williams also added five defensive and two offensive rebounds.
“We need Johni to be dominant on the inside,” Pearl said. “We had an advantage at the five position tonight. We dominated the five spot, which we needed to.”
Broome showed some discomfort from his apparent foot injury as he had to exit the game twice, but the young forward returned each time.
“I’m going to be alright. It was just kind of a tough fall,” Broome said.
Auburn has a long road trip up ahead. On Saturday, the Tigers head up to Nashville to play the Vanderbilt Commodores at 7:30 p.m. CST on the SEC Network. After Vanderbilt, Auburn will play three teams on the road: Ole Miss, Kentucky, and Alabama.
“Our guys care about trying to make history,” Pearl said. “We want to get to the NCAA Tournament. This helps, but we’ve still got work to do. Great win. We’ll take tomorrow off and get ready for Vanderbilt.”
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Caitlyn Griffin is a sophomore from Huntsville, Alabama, majoring in journalism. She started with The Plainsman in fall 2022.
Twitter: @caitlyngrif99
