Auburn came into Friday's game on a three-game winning streak and undefeated at home. The Tigers aimed to extend that winning streak as they took on the Alabama State Hornets, who have not won on the road so far this season.
And Auburn did just that. With a 20-point performance from Jaylin Williams, the Tigers defeated Alabama State 82-62. The Tigers have now won by an average of 22.25 points over their last four games and scored 80 or more in every game over that stretch.
Auburn started slow with eight turnovers in the first 10 minutes despite doing well limiting turnovers in its previous three games – only averaging six turnovers per game. The Tigers finished the game with 18 turnovers.
The offense for Auburn struggled but with eventually found its footing. Williams helped the offense get going in the first half, scoring off two Hornets’ turnovers to put Auburn up 19-11 and cap a 8-0 run. The Tigers continued to make the turnover opportunities count in the remaining 10 minutes of the first half.
Auburn finished the first half shooting 16-of-28 from the field, 5-of-12 from beyond the arc and 9-of-12 from the free-throw line.
At the start of the second period, the offensive momentum picked up where the Tigers had left off thanks to back-to-back layups by Johni Broome, who had another double-double. Broome had 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting and 13 rebounds in 23 minutes of play.
The Auburn offense would regress though, with a poor 9-of-26 shooting in the second half and only shooting 1-of-12 from beyond the arc.
The Tigers let up defensively, allowing the Hornets to outscore them in the second period 37-36. Alabama State’s Antoni Madlock led the scoring for the Hornets in the second half. Madlock finished with 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting while going 6-of-7 from the line.
“The defense is in front of me in the first half, and our bench was able to talk and communicate,” said head coach Bruce Pearl when speaking about Auburn’s second half defensive struggles this year. “They went down the other end, they don’t seem to have the same sense of urgency. That will just get us beat.”
Auburn held on to its lead by limiting its turnovers to only six in the second half and getting to the free-throw line where the Tigers converted on 17 of their 20 chances.
The highlights of the night were for the two seniors, K.D. Johnson and Jaylin Williams, who both reached 1000 career points. They both join Broome, Chaney Johnson and Denver Jones on 1000 career points. This makes Auburn one of three Division I teams with five career 1,000-point scorers.
“Congratulations to Jaylin Williams, what a great game he had on both ends of the floor,” Pearl said. “He has been tremendously constant the couple week. Also great to see K.D., that ball go in for him. I also thought KD brought great energy into his rotation.”
Williams was 7-of-10 shooting and was perfect on six attempts from the free-throw line. Johnson had 13 points on 3-of-6 shooting and led Auburn with 3-of-5 shooting beyond the arc.
“It’s about time,” Williams said. “It was a blessing to share with my teammates, I know they are very proud of me.”
With the win, Auburn improved to 9-2 and 5-0 at home on the year with one game left before the New Year. The Tigers will take on the Chattanooga Mocs on Saturday, Dec. 30. The game will tip off at 8 p.m. CST and broadcasted on the SEC Network.
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Jac Myrick is a journalism major from Talladega, Alabama. This is his second year at the Plainsman after joining in the fall of 2022.
