Field Level Media
Jan 2, 2024
Johni Broome recorded 24 points, 12 rebounds and three blocked shots to help No. 25 Auburn notch an 88-68 nonconference victory over visiting Penn on Tuesday night.
Chad Baker-Mazara added 16 points as the Tigers (11-2) won their sixth consecutive game. Auburn has won those games by an average of 24 points.
Denver Jones scored 12 points and K.D. Johnson had 11 for the Tigers in the wire-to-wire triumph.
Sam Brown scored 20 points and Tyler Perkins added 13 points and eight rebounds for Penn (8-7). The Quakers were without leading scorer Clark Slajchert, who injured an ankle in their 81-42 loss to No. 3 Houston on Saturday and is out for the "foreseeable future," according to the school.
Auburn made 49.2 percent of its shots and was 12-of-35 from 3-point range.
The Quakers hit 41 percent of their attempts and made 10 of 28 from behind the arc.
Penn trailed by 19 at halftime but quickly made up ground in the second half.
The Quakers scored 16 of the first 22 points to pull within 57-48 on Niklas Polonowski's 3-pointer with 14:37 left in the contest.
A short time later, Auburn resumed control with a 10-0 burst. Broome made three baskets during the run as the lead reached 70-49 with 10:37 remaining in the game.
Baker-Mazara scored four points in 20 seconds as the Tigers increased their lead to a game-high 76-52 with 8:34 left.
Penn scored the next eight points before Auburn answered with an 8-2 run. Broome connected on a 3-pointer with 3:34 left to make it 84-62 and the Tigers closed it out.
Broome and Jones each scored 12 first-half points as Auburn led 51-32 at the break. Perkins had 12 in the half for the Quakers.
Broome scored eight points in the first 2 1/2 minutes as the Tigers jumped out to an 11-2 lead.
Jaylin Williams later knocked down a 3-pointer to cap an 11-0 burst as Auburn took a 24-9 lead with 12:12 left in the half.
The Tigers made 10 of 19 3-pointers and led by as many as 20 during the half.
--Field Level Media