Auburn tunes up for SEC play with 67-53 win vs. Appalachian State

AUBURN, Ala. – Extending its non-conference regular season home win streak to 33, Auburn tuned up for SEC play with a 67-53 victory over Appalachian State Tuesday at Auburn Arena.
 
"We're not a household name in the SEC nor do we deserve to be," Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. "But we're also not a one-trick pony. It wasn't just the Final Four team. This team did what they needed to do. Part of the non-conference is preparing for the league. Ready or not, here it comes."
 
The Tigers (6-2) used a 12-0 run down the stretch to pull away after the Mountaineers (6-3) pulled within two points.
 
Jaylin Williams led Auburn with 15 points. Jamal Johnson scored 14 and Allen Flanigan added 13 points and a game-high six assists. Justin Powell added nine points, five assists and a game-high eight rebounds.
 
 Gallery: (12-22-2020) Auburn vs. Appalachian State

"I thought Jamal Johnson was terrific," Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. "Played great defensively, made some shots, had a great tempo to his game. We were better with him on the floor."
 
Powell made the play of the game, intercepting a long inbounds pass at midcourt, dribbling behind his back and spinning for a layup that gave Auburn a 10-point lead early in the second half.
 
After the visitors cut the lead to two, JT Thor hit a 3-pointer, Johnson followed with a jumper, then Flanigan's rebound and deep 3-pointer in transition gave Auburn a 10-point lead at 55-45 with 5:40 remaining.
 
Auburn outrebounded Appalachian State 38-21.
 
Williams began and ended Auburn's first-half scoring with 3-pointers. After spotting the Mountaineers a 9-0 lead, Williams' 3 got the Tigers going after a five-and-a-half minute drought in which Auburn missed its first six shots.
 
Once Auburn's shots started to fall, they did so with frequency. The Tigers made 8 of 19 3-pointers in the first half. Johnson hit a trio of treys in the half, adding a free throw on a 4-point play to lead the Tigers' first-half scoring with 10 points.
 
Johnson's first 3-pointer gave Auburn its first lead at 14-13. His third 3 capped a 7-0 Auburn run that put the Tigers on top 27-22. Williams' 3-pointer with 8 seconds left gave Auburn a 34-31 halftime lead.
 
"We didn't get off to a very good start," Pearl said. "They rallied. The bench made a huge difference for us tonight."
 
With the win, Auburn improved to 53-7 in non-conference play over the past five seasons, clinching the SEC's best record in non-league games since 2016-17.
 
"We've had some great wins," Pearl said. "I'm very proud of all of our teams and our coaching staffs for being consistently competitive."
 
After an eight-day holiday break, the Tigers will take a five-game win streak into SEC play on Wednesday, Dec. 30 vs. Arkansas at Auburn Arena at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN2 and the Auburn Sports Network.
 
"We got a great win today," Johnson said. "When we come back we're going to be ready to focus more on Arkansas. When we come back, we're going to be laser focused on them. Right now, we're going to take some days off and enjoy family time but when we get back we're going to be ready so we can be a team to look out for in the SEC."
 
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer