Aloha Auburn fans! It’s time for one of the premier non-conference tournaments of the season. The Maui Invitational starts November 25th and Auburn will be up against some of the best teams in college basketball. The Tigers are still undefeated after wins against Kent State and North Alabama. Here’s a recap of those wins and a look ahead to tournament play in Hawaii.
Auburn 79, Kent State 56
This looked like it could have been a a letdown for the Tigers after an emotional win at Houston, but it was far from that. The Tigers handled the Golden Flashes with strong performances from Johni Broome and Chaney Johnson. Johnson and Broome both scored 18 points. Chad Baker-Mazara and Denver Jones also finished in double-digits with 12 points.
The Tigers started quick with 13-3 run capped off by a three-point jumper from Miles Kelly. The Golden Flashes would cut the lead to ten with two minutes to play, but Auburn would extend the lead to 14 at halftime.
Auburn not trail by less than 11 points the rest of the game as they went on to win 79-56. The Tigers were efficient with the ball, committing a season low six turnovers and shooting 49% as a team.
Auburn outrebounded Kent State 41-33 and had a 23:6 assist-to-turnover ratio as well.
Coach Pearl was pleased with his team saying, “We beat a good Kent State team. We did not have a letdown after the big victory on Saturday.”
Auburn 102, North Alabama 69
Auburn was too much for in-state opponent North Alabama with a 33 point rout inside Neville Arena. Johni Broome was outstanding with a career-high-tying 30 points and 17 rebounds.
“I walk into every game looking to take over,” Broome said, “and put my stamp on the game. Today it was scoring and rebounding. I thought my team needed it in those moments, so I did it.”
One of the stories of the game, was the last few minutes when walk-on’s Presley Patterson and C.J Williams made buckets to reach the century mark. Senior Dylan Cardwell followed that up with a windmill alley-oop to close the game out.
The Tigers shot a season high 61.9% from the field and made 12 three-pointers as well.
That was also the team’s 57th consecutive win at home against a non-conference opponent.
Looking Ahead: Maui Invitational
Auburn heads to Hawaii for the Maui Invitational which begins November 25th. The Tigers will play 5th ranked Iowa State to open tournament play. The winner of that game plays either North Carolina or Dayton in the semifinals. Losers of each game will play each other in the consolation bracket. Should Auburn win twice, they would play in the tournament final. Possible opponents would be Michigan State, Colorado, Memphis, or UCONN. Auburn and Iowa State will tip-off at 8:00 p.m. C.T with coverage on ESPNU.
