When Johni Broome gets going, there’s little anyone can do to stop him.
On Monday night, the Auburn big man was the best player on the floor, scoring 30 points, snagging 17 rebounds and leading No. 4 Auburn to a commanding 102-69 victory over North Alabama at Neville Arena.
Broome also picked up his 62nd career double-double.
“Johni Broome proved why he’s an All-American,” said Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl. “He's the most dominant player on the floor.”
The Tigers were tested early, falling behind twice in the first half, but Broome shifted momentum in Auburn’s favor, scoring 15 points in the final seven minutes before halftime.
“My teammates were getting me the ball,” Broome said. “My coaches called the right play calls to get me the looks to score, and I just delivered.”
North Alabama took a 33-32 lead with 5:12 remaining in the first half, but Broome immediately seized control. He scored seven straight points to spark an 18-4 Auburn run and added the final six points of the half to give the Tigers a 50-37 advantage heading into the break.
“They played us very close in the first 16 minutes of the game,” Pearl said. “We’re hard to come back at because of the pace of play and how hard they had to work to get open.”
By halftime, Broome had already racked up 17 points and seven rebounds. He added 13 points and 10 rebounds in the second half, matching his career-best scoring mark at Auburn (30 points).
“I walk into every game looking to take over and put my stamp on the game," Broome said. "Today it was scoring and rebounding. I thought my team needed it in those moments, so I did it.”
With Broome dominating the front court, Auburn had the advantage in the paint. Broome made 13 of his 17 shot attempts, while fellow center Dylan Cardwell chipped in 12 points on 5-for-6 shooting. Together, the duo combined for 42 points on 78.2% shooting.
“Johni and Dylan are two of the best centers in college basketball,” Pearl said. “And, we’ve got both of them.”
Center Dylan Cardwell goes up for a layup in Neville Arena on Nov. 18th, 2024.
The Tigers outscored the Lions 50-40 in the paint and outrebounded North Alabama 35-26, with Broome claiming 17 of Auburn’s boards.
Auburn shot 61.9% from the field and 44.4% from behind-the-arc. Broome shot 76.5% from the field and contributed one 3-pointer. The Tigers held the Lions to 42.2% shooting from the field while forcing 13 turnovers.
The Tigers (4-0) will travel to Hawaii next week for the Maui Invitational, where Auburn will play three games. The opening matchup is set for Monday, Nov. 25, against No. 5 Iowa State, with tipoff at 8 p.m. CST on ESPNU.
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Grace Heim is a senior from Enterprise, Alabama, majoring in Political Science. She started with The Plainsman in January of 2023.
You can follow her on X (Twitter) at @graceeheim
