AUBURN, Ala. – From the AU logo, JT Thor caught a pass, dribbled twice and threw down a thunderous left-hand dunk to punctuate one of the best halves in Auburn's Bruce Pearl Era.
Twenty less artistic minutes remained, but Auburn's 43-10 halftime advantage essentially decided the outcome early in Saturday's 77-41 victory over Troy at Auburn Arena.
"That's probably as good of a first half as I can remember," Pearl said. "We were firing on all cylinders. Every offensive possession was clean and it looked like we knew what we were doing. Defensively, we were disruptive."
Gallery: (12-19-2020) Auburn 77, Troy 41
Auburn (5-2) won its 32nd consecutive regular season non-conference home game to remain the only SEC team without a non-league home loss over the past four seasons.
Allen Flanigan scored 14 points, Jaylin Williams added 11 and J.T. Thor scored 10 to lead the Tigers.
In the first half, Auburn shot 75 percent, taking an 18-2 advantage in points off turnovers and a 22-2 edge in points in the paint while outrebounding Troy 15-6.
Twelve Auburn players scored, including walk-ons Chandler Leopard and Lior Berman, who made 3-pointers to account for the Tigers' final buckets.
"I thought our bench play was terrific," Pearl said. "That's really important, when we're able to go to our bench and not drop off. Our 11 vs. everybody else's seven or eight is going to be a key to our season."
Flanigan set the tone with a corner 3-pointer off the opening tip. Williams followed a 3 from the opposite corner for a quick 6-0 Auburn lead.
Auburn extended its lead to 20 on Justin Powell's nifty bounce pass to Flanigan on a back cut for a 3-point play. Powell led the Tigers with eight assists.
Devan Cambridge's deep 3-pointer made it 33-6 with 5:40 to play in the half. Chris Moore's steal and dunk on a two-on-one break with Williams made it 35-6.
"We tried to get them out of their element," said Moore, who scored eight points and grabbed a career-high six rebounds. "It's always going to be a good game when everybody gets to eat."
Jamal Johnson's steal and assist to Dylan Cardwell on a fast break gave Auburn a 39-6 lead. Tyrell Jones' step-back jumper culminated a 20-0 Auburn run.
"We had a great first half," said Cardwell, who scored a career-high eight points. "We allowed only 10 points in 20 minutes, which is mind-blowing. I feel like our defense can win us a lot of games in the SEC."
The Tigers play their final tune up before SEC play on Tuesday at 1 p.m. when Appalachian State visits Auburn Arena.
"Great balance," Pearl said. "Great effort and energy. Our team continues to get a little better. We're trying to prepare for the SEC. We know with that competition we're going to have to step up, but I think our kids are still playing well."
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer