AUBURN, Ala. – Expecting its toughest test yet, No. 13 Auburn received all that and then some from Saint Louis before a late 11-0 run helped the Tigers beat the Billikens 65-60 Sunday at Neville Arena.
"We found a way and that's encouraging," Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. "We had a little more."
Wendell Green Jr. scored 22 points and Johni Broome added 11 points, eight rebounds and eight blocked shots to lead Auburn to its 43rd consecutive non-conference home win and 23rd straight victory on its home court.
"Defense wins championships," Broome said. "I knew I had to make an impact on the game and that was rebounding and blocking shots."
"We had the best player on the floor tonight: Wendell Green," Pearl said. "He's special. Wendell's got great confidence, great poise and great preparation. He's not afraid of the moment. He relishes the moment."
Trailing by five in the closing minutes, K.D. Johnson brought the Tigers back by getting to the rim and making tough shots on back-to-back Auburn possessions.
"He's special," Green said of his backcourt mate. "He's going to jump in your chest and you're not going to want to jump anymore. That's what he can do, he can win games for you. He brought us back once he subbed in, he was ready to go, and that's what we needed."
"K.D. is a special athlete," Pearl said. "I want him on the floor when it matters. He's an incredible competitor."
After Broome's eighth block, Johnson fired a baseball pass to Allen Flanigan, whose thunderous dunk gave Auburn a 59-58 lead and brought the Jungle to its feet with chants of "Let's go Auburn!"
"The crowd started rocking and I knew momentum was switching quickly," Broome said.
Broome scored in the paint to put the Tigers ahead by three, then Green made a free throw and scored on an acrobatic drive to turn a five-point deficit into a 64-58 Auburn lead with 30 seconds to play.
"I caught the ball in the post and everybody was looking at me to make a play," Broome said. "I've practiced that shot a ton. I'm very confident in my game and my team believed in me."
Flanigan led the Tigers with 10 rebounds. Jaylin Williams added nine points and seven rebounds.
Saint Louis hurt itself by shooting 1-for-11 from the free-throw line in the second half.
Green made two 3-pointers and added two old-fashioned 3-point plays while leading Auburn with 14 first-half points.
Broome blocked five shots and grabbed five rebounds to help Auburn lead 36-33 at halftime.
An early 8-0 run gave the Tigers a 13-4 lead but the visiting Billikens hit back-to-back 3-pointers to close the gap before taking the lead late in the half with the score remaining close throughout.
Looking to remain unbeaten, the Tigers (7-0) welcome Colgate to Neville Arena Friday at 7 p.m. CT.
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer
SAINT LOUIS POSTGAME NOTES>> Auburn started Wendell Green Jr., Zep Jasper, Chris Moore, Jaylin Williams and Johni Broome (5-0).
>> For the third-straight game, Auburn went with the starting lineup of Wendell Green Jr., Zep Jasper, Chris Moore, Jaylin Williams and Johni Broome (6-0).
>> With the win, Auburn improves to 4-0 in the all-time series with Saint Louis. It was the first-ever meeting between the two schools on Auburn's home court.
>> The Tigers held off the Billikens to win their 43rd consecutive non-conference home game at Neville Arena.
>> Auburn has also won 23-straight home games at Neville Arena dating back to the final two home games during the 2020-21 season.
>> Johni Broome made eight of the team's 11 blocked shots in the ballgame against the Billikens. It marked a season best for him inside. It was the third game this season where the Tigers made 10-or-more blocked shots. Broome had a near triple-double for the second time this season with 11 points and eight rebounds.
>> Wendell Green Jr. registered 14 of his season-high 22 points in the first half of play versus Saint Louis. It marked his fifth game in double digits this season and 48th of his career. It was also his 14th career 20-point outing. Last year, he tallied 15 points at Saint Louis.
>> Allen Flanigan brought down a game-high and career-high tying 10 rebounds against Saint Louis. He previously had 10 boards versus Arkansas on Dec. 30, 2020.
>> The Tigers made a season-low tying eight turnovers in the contest.
>> Auburn's defense held Saint Louis to a season-low 60 points. AU has now held five of its seven opponents to under 60 points this season.