Behind a 30-point performance from Johni Broome and a solid defensive performance as a team, Auburn took down Virginia Tech 74-57 in the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge before a sellout crowd at Neville Arena.
“It’s November, almost December, and it’s college basketball and our place is full. It’s sold out,” Pearl said. “I’m hoping that (the Auburn fans) were entertained. I mean, it was entertaining. The kids are playing hard.”
The Tigers scored the first basket 53 seconds into the game and led the rest of the way, jumping out to an early 18-4 lead. The Hokies never got closer than six points after the opening three minutes.
Broome’s performance was his best scoring game in an Auburn uniform and was just two points away from his career-best scoring game, a 32-point game while he was at Morehead State. In addition, Broome grabbed a team-high 13 rebounds. Broome’s milestone was celebrated not just by him, but by his teammates as well.
“My teammates encouraged me to get that,” Broome said. “To see my teammates be more excited than I am, that’s big and it makes me feel great.”
Broome’s big day helped the Tigers overcome their struggles from the field. The Tigers shot just 2-of-16 from 3-point range, a season-low rate of just 12.5%. From the field as a whole, Auburn was 24-of-62, a 38.7% make rate. Auburn was 10-of-27 on layups, which included layups in which Auburn was fouled.
“We’ve got to shoot better,” Pearl said. “We’ve got to execute offensively better. We’ve got to finish at the rim better. We’ve got to shoot better foul shots.”
Only one other Tiger reached double figures in the game: Chad Baker-Mazara, who scored 15 points. Baker-Mazara was a team-best plus-17 in the plus/minus stat, playing 23 minutes in the game. He left midway through the game due to injury but returned later on.
“I just fell and just hit my wrist on the ground the wrong way,” Baker-Mazara said. “But I’m good now. I’m just getting some ice and I’ll be good.”
One other Tiger reached a milestone in his career. Denver Jones, with a pair of free throws early in the second half, surpassed 1,000 points scored in his collegiate career.
Though the offense struggled, the Tigers’ defense controlled the game, including forcing the Hokies into uncharacteristic miscues. The Hokies were just 14-of-51, or 27.5%, from the field in the game. The Hokies, who averaged 10.3 turnovers per game coming into the contest, committed 21 turnovers, resulting in 30 Auburn points.
“Just a great defensive effort to turn that team over 21 times…,” Pearl said. “That team doesn’t turn the ball over. They turned it over eight times a game…”
Both teams were given plenty of chances at the free-throw line. Auburn shot 36 free throws, making 24. The Hokies were 23-of-31 from the foul line, a rate of 74.2%. Virginia Tech came into the game ranked No. 8 nationally in free-throw percentage, making 81.29% of its foul shots.
Whether it was just an off night or influenced by the raucous sellout crowd at Neville Arena, the Hokies were over seven percentage points worse from the foul line than their season average.
Both teams were active on the boards offensively. Auburn pulled down 17 offensive rebounds, taking advantage with 26 second-chance points. Pearl, however, was not happy with the Tigers’ defensive rebounding. The Hokies also had 17 offensive boards, resulting in 14 second-chance points, compared to Auburn’s 23 defensive rebounds.
“We got outrebounded,” Pearl said. “They had 17 offensive rebounds and we had 23 defensive rebounds. So we have to do a better job of keeping them off the boards when we’re playing bigger, stronger, more physical teams.”
Auburn’s win helped the SEC preserve a draw with the ACC in the conferences’ first challenge. Each conference won seven games of 14 played with Auburn joining Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Missouri and South Carolina as the SEC’s winners.
“That one matters double because its the ACC/SEC Challenge,” Pearl said. “And if we’re going to establish Auburn as one of the better teams in the SEC, then you’ve got to be able to be trusted to deliver against that league.”
The win over Virginia Tech was Auburn’s final home game until Sunday, Dec. 17, when the Tigers host USC. Before then, Auburn has three straight games away from Neville Arena, beginning with the Tigers’ first true road game. The Tigers will visit Appalachian State on Sunday, Dec. 3, with the game scheduled for a noon CST tipoff on ESPN2.
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Matthew is a senior from Huntsville, Alabama, majoring in journalism. He started with The Plainsman in fall 2021.
Twitter: @mattwallaceAU
