A strong start and finish powered Auburn men’s basketball to a 79-56 victory over the Kent State Golden Flashes on Wednesday night, despite some mid-game struggles.
“We beat a good Kent State team,” said Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl. “They got it to five in the second half, and they did it because they made shots. They made plays. It wasn't because we let down or anything”
Auburn opened the game with a 10-0 run, sparked by four early foul shots — one from Dylan Cardwell and three from Chad Baker-Mazara. Baker-Mazara kept the momentum going by scoring the first field goal with a jump shot in the paint, followed by a driving layup from Denver Jones. Johni Broome then capped off the run with another jump shot in the paint.
The Tigers controlled much of the first half, securing a 22-3 lead just over eight minutes into the game. Auburn shot 46.7% from the field, going 14-for-30, and tallied 24 points in the paint. Chaney Johnson led the team with 11 first-half points, while Chad Baker-Mazara and Johni Broome followed with nine and six points, respectively.
Chaney Johnson with the flush during the first half of Auburn vs Kent St. on Nov. 13, 2024.
Auburn struggled from beyond-the-arc throughout the game, a trend that started in the first half. The Tigers shot just 2-for-13 from 3-point range in the opening half, with Johnson and Miles Kelly each contributing a lone 3-pointer.
Late in the first half, the Golden Flashes chipped away at Auburn's lead with a 10-0 run, while the Tigers faced a 3:38 scoring drought that included three turnovers. By halftime, Kent State trailed 36-22, shooting 8-for-31 from the field, 2-for-12 from 3-point range, and 4-for-6 from the free-throw line.
Kent State continued its mid-game surge to start the first half with an 8-0 run, bringing the score to 36-30 just over two minutes into the second half. The Golden Flashes managed to come within five of Auburn’s lead with roughly 17 minutes left in the game, aided by five made foul shots and two 3-pointers from Davis VonCameron.
Auburn’s defense shifted momentum in the Tigers’ favor, as it held Kent State to 12-for-30 from the field in the second half, forcing four turnovers and picking up just five fouls. A few made free throws and layups from Broome kept Auburn’s offense going in the second half, and the Tigers were able to pull away, outscoring the Golden Flashes 43-34 in the final half.
Chad Baker-Mazara lines up a three during the first half of Auburn vs Kent St. on Nov. 13, 2024.
Despite struggles from deep, Auburn put up 79 points, largely due to its performance in the paint. The Tigers finished the game with 42 points in the paint while shooting just six-of-24 from three.
“Of the 24 threes that we took, I thought really only two or three weren't good shots,” Pearl said. “You gotta make shots to win. And so the fact that we still scored 79, we got the ball inside, and Chaney and Johni, you know, finished at a very high level.”
Broome and Johnson each led the team with 18 points. Broome added four assists and 12 rebounds, achieving his 61st career double-double. Johnson shot 8-for-11 from the field, contributing five rebounds, four assists, two 3-pointers and four dunks.
Auburn will be back in Neville Arena on Monday, Nov. 18 to face North Alabama. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. CST and will be televised on SEC Network.
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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
