AUBURN | It took 141 games but Dylan Cardwell finally got his first-career double-double.

The senior had 12 points and 11 rebounds to help No. 2 Auburn close out non-conference play with an 87-58 win over Monmouth.

“It’s something I’ve prayed for, something that I just couldn’t grasp. It really frustrated me,” said Cardwell. “And at the end of the day, it’s not something I did differently. It’s something the Lord allowed.

“I’m just grateful I was on the receiving end of a double-double after seeing so many guys before me get double-doubles. I’m just grateful that it was my turn. It feels great.”

Cardwell has excelled defensively throughout his career but until Monday night, he had just one double-digit rebounding game with 10 against Missouri in 2023, and three double-digit scoring games including 18 against Memphis in the championship game of the Maui Invitational.

He had 10 points and eight rebounds against Ohio State a couple of weeks ago.

“I'm actually really excited seeing another guy just get an accomplishment,” said Chad Baker-Mazara. “I never knew he never had a double-double. I would've thought already he had a couple, but I'm proud of him.

“That's something that we really expect from him, so that should just be a baseline for him, and now from here, we need a couple more. I'm just proud of him, and I just want to see him do that and just keep doing more.”

The Tigers improved to 12-1 with the win over the Hawks and head into conference play as one of 10 teams ranked in the Top 25. If AU wins 14 more games out of the 18 remaining league games and/or postseason, Cardwell will surpass Jaylin Williams as Auburn’s all-time winningest player.

Williams won 113 games from 2019 to 2024. Cardwell reached 100 Monday night.

“Dylan has had an amazing career,” said AU coach Bruce Pearl. “Dylan will be as good a teammate as any player I've ever coached. He's been a great leader. We've gotten good leadership on our team, and he can get better. I mean, Dylan can play in the NBA because of his ability to guard anywhere in the court.”

Auburn hosts Missouri Saturday at 3 p.m. CT on SEC Network.