Instant Analysis: Tigers crush South Carolina for fifth straight victory
For the second game in a row, the No. 16 Auburn Tigers made themselves at home inside an opposing arena.
The Tigers made 50% of its shots and scored 46 points in the paint as they defeated South Carolina, 81-66 at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia on Saturday.
Auburn has now won three games on the road in SEC play and has won their last two games by an average margin of 16.5 points.
Auburn’s convincing win was due in part to the efforts of Johni Broome and Wendell Green Jr. After missing out on the feat the last two games, Broome recorded his sixth double-double of the season by scoring a season-high 27 points and reeling in ten rebounds.
As for Green, he earned his keep while making sure everyone else ate as well. Green scored 16 points while recording 12 assists in the win.
The first half belonged to the Tigers, who were solid offensively. Dylan Cardwell connected on a jumper with 13:54 remaining in the first half to put Auburn ahead by six points, 11-5. From that point on, Auburn’s lead would not dip below that mark in the half.
The Tigers took it a step further with 3:35 remaining in the half when a made free throw by Broome put Auburn up by ten, a margin that would not shrink for the rest of the half.
Broome led the team in points with 14 in the first half, Jaylin Williams was next with nine points, while Green scored seven. The Tigers shot 57% from the field in the half opposed to South Carolina’s 26%.
Auburn would continue its dominance by not letting its lead dip below ten points in the second half. Auburn’s largest lead would occur with 15:16 remaining in the contest when Yohan Traore connected on a three-pointer to put the Tigers ahead by 26 points, 51-25. Traore ended the evening with eight points, which ties his second-best outing of the season. Broome would make 6-of-9 shots to score 13 points in the final half.
Auburn returns to Neville Arena next Wednesday to face Texas A&M. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT and will be broadcasted on ESPN2.
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Auburn remains in top-25 of BPI rankings following sweep of Ole Miss, Mississippi State
