The final on the scoreboard showed Auburn earning a comfortable win, but it did not come without a little March Madness flair.
The No. 9 Tigers led by as many as 17 in the second half of their first round game with No. 8 Iowa before the Hawkeyes stormed back to cut the lead to four with 4:10 remaining in the game. Despite the threat from Iowa, Auburn was able to run away with an 83-75 win to advance to the NCAA Tournament second round on Saturday at Legacy Arena in Birmingham.
An astounding six players reached double figures in the game, with Johni Broome and Allen Flanigan each recording double-doubles. Broome led the team in scoring and boards with 19 and 12 respectively, while Flanigan scored 10 and pulled down 10 rebounds.
Iowa got the best of Auburn in several categories including rebounding, second chance points, and bench points. However, Auburn outscored the Hawkeyes on the fastbreak, 26-8, and shot slightly better by connecting on 46% of their shots while Iowa shot 41% from the field.
The first half began about as close as anticipated through the first ten minutes with neither team leading by more than four points when Auburn held a 10-6 advantage with 13:31 left in the half. Auburn held the shooting advantage by connecting on 40% of their shots, while Iowa only made 27%.
Following the timeout at 10:20, Auburn began to create distance between themselves and Iowa by jumping out to a 21-12 lead with 8:00 to go in the half. Johni Broome’s layup with 8:56 to go sparked a 5-0 run in just under a minute to build a cushion.
The Hawkeyes then went on a 10-3 run by making four of their next five baskets to cut Auburn’s lead to 25-22 with 3:31 to go in the half.
To close the half, Auburn outscored Iowa, 6-4 to take a 31-26 lead into the locker room. Eight Tigers recorded points in the first half, with Broome scoring eight points on 50% shooting.
Neither team shot well in the first half, both connecting on 38% of their shots. Wendell Green Jr. made the game’s only three-point…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/instant-analysis-tigers-hold-off-012617728.html?src=rss
Author : Auburn Wire
Publish date : 2023-03-17 01:26:17
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