The Auburn Tigers needed a big win after a rough past week that saw them drop two straight games on the road.
Returning back to Neville Arena, it was a 27-point 81-54 win for the Tigers over the still-winless in the SEC Vanderbilt Commodores. It was Auburn’s second win over Vanderbilt this season, having defeated the Commodores in Nashville 80-65 back on January 17th.
The win carried the Tigers to 17-4 overall and 6-2 in the SEC.
Jaylin Williams led the charge on offense for the Tigers, scoring 21 points including going 3 of 4 from the three point line. On defense, it was a monster game for Johni Broome, who had a staggering five blocks to go along with his 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Sharp Shooter 🎯😤 pic.twitter.com/B48iTJ9t5e
— Auburn Basketball (@AuburnMBB) February 1, 2024
https://t.co/764tI1b8zY pic.twitter.com/1tr3lpOVID
— Auburn Basketball (@AuburnMBB) February 1, 2024
Big man from behind the line‼️ 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/Keb0MhXXeJ
— Auburn Basketball (@AuburnMBB) February 1, 2024
Denver Jones was also sensational, scoring 19 on just 11 shots and hitting four of eight three-point attempts. Chad Baker-Mazara added 11 points off the bench.
Now sitting at 6-2 in the conference, the Tigers are tied with South Carolina for second place just one game behind Alabama but with the Tide owning the tie-breaker currently due to the head-to-head win in Tuscaloosa.
After the game, Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl talked about the competitiveness of the league and how important this win was for the Tigers.
“It gets real come Saturday. We look at our schedule, we look across the league, Florida beating Kentucky in overtime, they are playing really well. Georgia didn’t get it done tonight but they’re playing well, South Carolina too,” Pearl said.
“Defensively, Vanderbilt is a good team, really good offensively. I think we wore them down and our half-court defense was outstanding.”
Auburn has a challenging test in its next game on Saturday, hitting the road once again against 18-3 Ole Miss. It will be a huge game for the Rebels, who sit at 5-3 and tied for fourth place in the conference just one game behind Auburn.
The game will be played at 5:00 P.M. CST from Oxford this Saturday.
Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP
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