AUBURN, Ala. – It was a block party in Auburn Arena on Saturday afternoon. No. 21 Auburn blocked 14 shots, while only turning the ball over seven times, to notch an impressive 86-64 win over Yale and improve to 7-1 on the season.
The 14 blocks matched the Auburn record under current head coach Bruce Pearl, and it was three off the program's all-time record.
"The defense was good," Pearl said. "The fact that they shot 32 percent, we blocked a lot of shots, it was good. We pressed up on them, forced them to go to the rim, and that's what they did. We've got a lot of things to work on, a lot of things to get better on, but Yale has got a chance to win the Ivy League and that could be a win against the NCAA field."
K.D. Johnson and Jabari Smith paced the Tigers offensively. Johnson scored a team-high 19 points, and the freshman Smith finished in double figures for the fifth straight game with 17 points. Smith also pulled down seven rebounds, and threw down a thunderous dunk late in the first half to send the Auburn Arena crowd into a frenzy.
Wow. 😱
— Auburn Basketball (@AuburnMBB) December 4, 2021
Hit that RT if you felt @jabarismithll 🔨 pic.twitter.com/dYvxGQ5MwS
As a team, Auburn had five players score in double figures.
Junior Devan Cambridge recorded his second career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, matching his career high on the glass. It was his third game with 10 or more points on the season and second in his last three games.
"It means a lot," Cambridge said. "That's my main focus this year – rebounding as a guard. I was very excited and happy to be able to rebound with those physical guys today."
"I thought this was one of Devan Cambridge's better games overall on both ends," added Pearl. "If Devan is going to be an elite defender, an elite rebounder and make open shots, he is going to be great for us – and he's going to be great at the next level."
Zep Jasper and Dylan Cardwell also finished with 10 points apiece for the Tigers.
Jasper dished out five assists, second only to fellow backcourt mate Wendell Green Jr. who had six dimes. The duo combined for 11 assists without committing a turnover. Both players connected with Cardwell on alley-oop dunks in the first half. The 6-foot-11 Cardwell was 5 of 6 from the floor, grabbed six rebounds and blocked three shots.
The second half dominance this season continued Saturday as the Tigers outscored Yale, 39-34, in the final 20 minutes. But they started red-hot too, jumping out to an 11-0 run in the first six minutes. Yale didn't score its first point until the 14:09 mark in the first half. Auburn had seven blocks in that stretch, including three from Walker Kessler.
Kessler, Cardwell and Babatunde Akingbola all finished with three or more blocks.
"Walker had a great first half, but in the second half, he was a little banged up," Johnson said. "Then, Dylan came in and sparked right up. Stretch came in and protected the goal for us as well. When we can have a trio with incentives, we will be hard to beat."
Next up for Auburn is a matchup with Nebraska in Atlanta next Saturday as part of the Holiday Hoopsgiving event. The game is scheduled to tip off at 10:30 a.m. CT.