Behind a commanding offensive performance in the first half, No. 25 Auburn asserted control early and earned an 88-68 win over the Penn Quakers in the final nonconference game of the 2023-24 season.
“11-2 finishes up our nonconference schedule,” said head coach Bruce Pearl. “We’re in position to be in position and over the last seven years, we’ve got the best nonconference winning percentage in the SEC.”
The Tigers (11-2) led for the final 39:17 of game time, never trailing in the win. It was Auburn’s seventh win of 20 or more points this season, with no win coming by fewer than 15 points.
After a plethora of slow starts that plagued the Tigers throughout nonconference play, it was the second straight fast start for the Tigers. After starting the game on a 14-0 run against Chattanooga, the Tigers scored the first eight against the Quakers (8-7).
The Tigers’ big start was propelled by their success from 3-point range. In the first half, the Tigers shot 10-of-19 from 3-point range, with Jaylin Williams, Tre Donaldson, K.D. Johnson and Johni Broome each hitting a pair before the break. Broome, Jones, Johnson and Chad Baker-Mazara all finished with double digits in scoring for the game.
“I thought that we could shoot it for sure,” Pearl said. “I have confidence in all those guys to shoot it…”
Broome, who had not made a 3-pointer since the Notre Dame game on Nov. 16, made his first two of the game and finished 3-of-4 from behind the arc.
“With Johni making three (3-pointers) tonight, it’s great that he’s seeing the ball go in right now,” Pearl said. “And it’s going to make us better offensively and so I’m obviously excited about that.”
The 3-point success for Broome lifted him to a 24-point performance to go with 12 rebounds, his sixth double-double of the season. Due to extensive foul trouble for Dylan Cardwell, Broome played a season-high 28 minutes. He shot 9-of-10 from the field and 3-of-4 on free throws.
“It felt good to see that first one go in,” Broome said. “But a lot of credit goes to my teammates and coaches, they still believe in me to give me those shots.”
The Tigers’ shooting numbers drastically decreased in the second half, with the Tigers shooting just 15-of-34 from the field and 2-of-16, or 12.5%, from 3-point range after the break. From 2-point range, however, the Tigers had better success, making 13 of their 18 2-point shots, a rate of over 72%, after the half.
“At first I was hitting shots,” Jones said. “We noticed our 3’s weren’t falling so we decided to get back in the paint, work inside out.”
Once again, Auburn shared the ball without turning it over. In what has become a trend for the Tigers, they had 19 assists to just six turnovers in the game. Aden Holloway led the team with six assists, while Johnson added four.
After a slow start following the halftime break which saw Penn go on a 16-6 run early in the frame, Baker-Mazara was one of the catalysts as the Tigers got back on track offensively. Baker-Mazara scored 16 points in the game, nine in the second half, marking a season-best scoring performance for him. Baker-Mazara was plus-20 in the plus/minus stat, second only to Johnson’s plus-21.
“That’s what makes this team so special,” Broome said. “We have multiple guys who can change the game for us. And that’s what we’re going to need especially come SEC play it can’t just be one guy.”
As Auburn’s shooting numbers dropped in the second half, Penn’s improved, especially from behind the arc. After allowing the Quakers to shoot just 3-of-14 from 3-point range in the first half, the Auburn defense gave up seven 3-pointers in the second half, with four coming from Sam Brown who scored 20 in the game to lead the Quakers.
“You could see, especially with the way they started the second half, that’s a good team,” Pearl said. “That team will compete with Harvard and probably Princeton for the Ivy League title.”
With the nonconference portion of their schedule now complete, the Tigers turn their attention to SEC play. Auburn opens conference competition with their second true road game of the season – a contest against Arkansas at Bud Walton Arena.
“We obviously took care of business now we get ready to go to conference play,” Pearl said. “Our first two opponents have beaten us, Arkansas, two out of the last three times we’ve played them. Last time we were at Arkansas they stormed the court.”
Tipoff from Fayetteville, Arkansas, is set for Saturday, Jan. 6 at 1 p.m. CST and the game will be televised on ESPN2.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
Matthew is a senior from Huntsville, Alabama, majoring in journalism. He started with The Plainsman in fall 2021.
Twitter: @mattwallaceAU
