Auburn’s win streak continued after wins over Arkansas and Texas A&M. Now, Auburn sits at the top of the SEC with games against LSU and Vanderbilt ahead. One of the highlights of the week was Auburn’s 32 point domination of Arkansas. It was the worst loss the Hogs have suffered at Bud Walton. The Tigers were tested at home by a gritty Texas A&M team, but were able to pull away towards the end of the game. Here’s a look back at the victories and a preview of the next two games to come.
Auburn 83, Arkansas 51
Auburn handled business in Fayetteville with a dominating performance over Arkansas. Besides the margin of victory, the biggest storyline was Chad Baker-Mazara’s breakout game. The junior scored a season high 16 points including a couple of three point buckets.
The Tigers outrebounded Arkansas 46-32. They had 48 points in the paint to just 18 for Arkansas. Their bench outscored the Arkansas bench 46-9. Defensively, they held the Razorbacks to 31 percent shooting and just 11 2-point field goals.
After taking a seven-point lead into halftime, Auburn stretched the lead to 18 with a 13-2 run to open the second half. Johni Broome would finish the game in double figures after scoring just five of his 13 points in the first half. Jaylin Williams and Tre Donaldson would also finishing double figures with 11 points.
The win marks Auburn’s sixth win at Arkansas with three of those victories coming under Bruce Pearl.
Auburn 66, Texas A&M 55
Auburn’s victory over Texas A&M did not come easy as mistakes and turnovers get the Aggies in the game. The Tigers had 12 turnovers and shot only 39% from the field, but it was the 19 turnovers from the Aggies that helped the Tigers.
Auburn would lead by just four points with less than a minute to play, when Jaylin Williams would hit a three-point shot to put the game out of reach. Williams would finish the game with 22 points.
“That’s one of the biggest shots of my career, for sure,” said Williams, “I practice that shot all the time. I had confidence in that one. Texas A&M beat me up pretty well the past few years.”
K.D Johnson scored 14 points while adding three rebounds and two assists with no turnovers. Johni Broome scored 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds, going 8-for-10 from the free-throw line in the second half. Tre Donaldson led Auburn with six assists.
Looking Ahead
Auburn will be back at home on January 13th against LSU. They will be the favorite to extend their winning streak to nine games. LSU’s best wins are against Wake Forest, Vanderbilt, and Texas A&M. They also have losses to Dayton, Texas, Syracuse, and Kansas State. Their overall record sits at 10-5 (2-0 SEC). Tipoff for the game is at 5:00 P.M CT with coverage on SEC Network.
Next Wednesday, the Tigers travel to Nashville, Tennessee, a place where some of their biggest supporters are. They will take on the Vanderbilt Commodores who have started SEC play 0-2 with losses to LSU and Alabama. Auburn can’t overlook them, as many opponents tend to do. Memorial Gymnasium can be a difficult place to play. Tipoff for that game is at 8:00 P.M CT with coverage on SEC Network.
