Auburn strikes gold, flashes by Kent State 79-56

Auburn Tigers forward Chaney Johnson (31) dunks the ball on a fast break as Auburn Tigers take on Kent State Golden Flashes at Neville Arena in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, Nov. 13, 2024. Auburn Tigers lead Kent State Golden Flashes 36-22 at halftime.

The Auburn Tigers simmering start to the season continued on Wednesday night with a 23-point thumping of MAC opponent Kent State. The win was Auburn’s 56th consecutive non-conference victory at Neville Arena. The 56-game home win streak is the longest active streak in all of college basketball.

Despite the lopsided final score, this game wasn’t as much of a blowout as Bruce Pearl and his staff would have hoped coming in. The Tigers looked as if they were headed for a repeat of the 50-plus point thumping of Vermont in the home opener early, but a late first half run by the Golden Flashes saw them cut a near 30-point lead to just 14 going into the break.

Seniors VonCameron Davis (19 points) and Jalen Sullinger (16 points) continued leading a valiant charge in the second half, cutting the lead as close as two possessions before Auburn’s defense finally put it’s stamp on the game. Forwards Johni Broome and Chaney Johnson blocked the Golden Flashes charge, both figuratively and literally, with 5 combined blocks, 17 rebounds, and 36 points to help Auburn stay undefeated with another emphatic win.

Guards Denver Jones and Chad Baker-Mazara added a dozen points each to seal the deal, while freshman Tahaad Pettiford followed up his breakout 21-point breakout party with a much more tame 9 points. While the Tigers focus may have wayned a bit during the victory, Bruce Pearl’s squad ultimately got the job done and will likely continue moving up the polls ahead of their final tune up before the Maui Invitation next Monday against North Alabama.

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/auburn-strikes-gold-flashes-kent-032903443.html

Author : Auburn Wire

Publish date : 2024-11-14 03:29:00

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