No. 2 Auburn got off to a fast start offensively and jumped out to a quick lead that it never relinquished on Sunday against Richmond thanks to hot shooting from the Tigers’ backcourt.
The Tigers poured in 13 3-pointers in the win, shooting a 43.3 percent clip from deep. Early on, it was Denver Jones and Tahhad Pettiford that ignited the shooting efforts as they both combined for six first-half threes, giving the Tigers a 6-of-11 start from beyond the arc with 12 minutes still left on the clock in the first half. The Tigers ended the half with nine 3-pointers, marking a new season-high.
It’s typically All-American bigman Johni Broome who is taking over for the Tigers offensively, but Richmond was double-teaming him from the jump, giving the Tigers’ shooters open opportunities in which they made the most of.
“It makes whatever offense you're running – it makes it much better when you’ve got to guard us on the perimeter. Obviously, Richmond picked their poison: double-team inside and the perimeter is open,” said Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl. “Fortunately, our guys obviously made shots. And you know, right now, Miles (Kelly) is shooting a great percentage. Chad Baker-(Mazara) is shooting a great percentage and Tahaad is shooting a great percentage.”
The trio of Kelly, Pettiford and Baker-Mazara has shown up big for Auburn this season – namely from beyond the arc – as they entered the game shooting a combined 44.7 percent from 3-point range thus far, with all three shooting above 40 percent from deep individually.
“We work on just knocking down shots in practice. So, I mean, having an All American big like that, he's going to command a lot of attention. So as those guards, we’ve got to just knock down shots. And it's part of the reason why I came here: to play with better players and get cleaner looks. So, it's really good,” Kelly added postgame.
Pettiford and Kelly led all Tigers in scoring with 15 apiece. Both combined for eight 3-pointers with Kelly pouring in a team-high 80% clip from deep. Kelly currently ranks fourth in the SEC in 3-point field goal percentage.
Pettiford – who was coming off of a 20-point performance against No. 9 Duke – has averaged 18.3 points per game in Auburn’s matchups with top-10 opponents and continues to remain poised in big moments for the Tigers.
“My teammates, coaches, they keep me down. You know, if I mess up, they’re going to let me know. They let me know the truth. They don't just sugar coat things. And my teammates, you know, they just always tell me to play my game – do what I do. And, you know, having teammates and coaches like that around me, it just makes me more comfortable to play the game.”
Jones finished his night with 11 points and five rebounds and Baker-Mazara added 13, while freshman Jahki Howard splashed onto the scene – his first meaningful minutes since the Tigers’ season opener – with 13 points in 21 minutes played. Howard had three dunks within his first five minutes on the court, and secured the highlight play as he put Richmond’s Jonathan Beagle on a poster, sending Neville Arena into a frenzy.
“No, to be honest, it doesn't. It just surprised me,” Pettiford said of Howard’s high-flying dunk. “You know, first game back, his first college body, so it was huge. But I've seen that multiple times, so there's nothing new to be honest.”
Auburn will take the rest of the week off before heading to State Farm Arena on Saturday to take on Ohio State in the annual Holiday Hoopsgiving event.
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Logan Fowler is a Senior from Sumiton, Alabama and is majoring in journalism. He joined the Plainsman in Spring 2024.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @loganffowler
