AUBURN | On a night where he surpassed 2,500 points in his college career, Johni Broome once again played an impactful role, leading No. 1 Auburn to a 106-76 over Ole Miss in Neville Arena on Wednesday night.
Broome’s 24 points and nine rebounds led the Tigers in both categories. He finished the game with four assists. Broome shot 7-of-12 from the field and 10-of-12 from the free-throw line.
"All glory to God," Broome said. "You know, He's blessed me to be able to make an impact since my freshman year. He gave me this platform that I have now. He's kept me healthy enough to achieve that goal."
Auburn jumped out to a 29-9 lead within the first 10 minutes of the first half. Despite never holding a lead, Ole Miss did not go down quietly as Sean Pedulla hit a 3-pointer at the 2:09 mark, cutting the deficit down to six points.
Auburn and Ole Miss traded baskets to begin the second half, but the Tigers started to pull away around the 16:00 media timeout. A 3-pointer from Denver Jones at the 11:36 mark extended the Tigers’ lead to 15. This kicked off an 8-0 run Auburn used to put the game away.
Apart from Broome, four other Tigers reached double-figures in points. Chad Baker-Mazara had 22, Chaney Johnson, Miles Kelly and Denver Jones each had 13. They blocked eight shots and had four steals as a group.
The Tigers’ shots were falling and they took advantage. They ended the game shooting 60 percent from the field and 52 percent from 3-point range.
"We played so well offensively," AU coach Bruce Pearl said. "Shot it so well, shared it so well. I just think that the pieces, there’s just some really special pieces. Chad Baker gets off to a phenomenal start. Wasn’t able to practice yesterday because he had a stomach virus. And he’s on IV’s last night and this morning."
Additionally, Auburn capitalized at the free-throw line, converting on 82 percent of its attempts. The Tigers also controlled the glass, finishing the game with a 33-20 rebounding advantage.
Auburn (26-2, 14-1 SEC) returns to action on Saturday when they take on No. 17 Kentucky (18-9, 7-7 SEC) at Rupp Arena. Tipoff is set for noon CT and ABC will carry the broadcast.
