Auburn basketball cruises past Penn to cap nonconference slate with convincing win
AUBURN — The nonconference schedule has come and gone, and Auburn basketball largely took care of business.
The Tigers (11-2) put the finishing touches on games against non-SEC foes with an 88-68 win over Penn (8-7) in Neville Arena on Tuesday. All-SEC big man Johni Broome led the way with 22 points and 12 rebounds, securing his 16th double-double in an Auburn uniform.
Broome was joined in double figures by Chad Baker-Mazara (16), KD Johnson (13) and Denver Jones (12). All of Jones' production came in the first half, and the duo of Baker-Mazara and Johnson combined for 17 second-half points.
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Early flurry of 3-pointers for Auburn basketball, Johni Broome
Broome said in the preseason that expanding his range was something he wanted to accomplish in his second year with the Tigers, and had a promising start to the 2023-24 campaign in that regard by connecting on four of his first six attempts of the season.
But he then proceeded to miss his next 16 shots from deep, with his last make from 3-point range coming against Notre Dame on Nov. 16. That was, at least, until the matchup with the Quakers. Broome made his first two triples to help lead the Tigers on an early 11-2 run. Denver Jones made one during that stretch, too, as five Tigers had a made 3-pointer before eight minutes elapsed off the clock.
Broome finished with three made 3-pointers, which is a new career high.
Penn's second-half push
The Quakers put a brief scare into Auburn, coming out of the break on a 14-6 run to cut the deficit to as few as nine points. Penn started the second half by making five of its first nine shots, and Auburn only scored four points in the opening five minutes of the second half.
Chad Baker-Mazara, KD Johnson punch back
Penn's push didn't last long, though, as Chad Baker-Mazara responded by using some impressive footwork to make a layup and followed that up with a 3-pointer on the next possession to spark a 13-1 run. Dylan Cardwell made a second-chance layup, and KD Johnson finished a couple fast-break layups to balloon Auburn's lead back up over 20 points.
What's next
The Tigers will open SEC play on the road at Arkansas on Saturday (1 p.m. CT, ESPN2). The Razorbacks (9-4) are 7-1 at home this season.
Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on Twitter @rich_silva18.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn basketball tops Penn to put a bow on nonconference schedule
