Seeing 20-20: Broome's huge game leads No. 2 Auburn past Ohio State

ATLANTA – Johni Broome produced the Tigers’ first 20-point, 20-rebound game in 35 years to help No. 2 Auburn overpower Ohio State 91-53 Saturday at State Farm Arena in Holiday Hoopsgiving. 

“Our guys respected them,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. “We saw what they did to Texas and Rutgers and as a result, we had a great preparation.” 

Broome scored 21 points and grabbed a career-high 20 rebounds, the first Tiger to see 20-20 since Kelvin Ardister accomplished the feat in 1989. 

“Playing my hardest for my team,” Broome said. “The ball just came to me. I had a rhythm. My teammates came to me and I was able to deliver.”

“He’s so incredibly talented,” Pearl said of Broome.

Dylan Cardwell nearly registered his own double-double, scoring 10 points and pulling down eight rebounds. 

Auburn’s big men – Broome and Cardwell – combined for 31 points, 28 rebounds, eight assists, seven blocked shots and zero turnovers in 51 minutes. 

Broome departed Atlanta quickly to return to the Plains for Auburn University’s Commencement Saturday evening.

“It’s a special day, definitely one to remember,” Broome said. “Getting a 20-20, first time ever, and then going to graduation, that’s even better.”

Denver Jones scored 14 points and Jahki Howard added 11, combining for six of Auburn’s 13 3-pointers. 

Leading by 28 at the half, Auburn kept its foot on the gas in the second half, doubling the score at 74-37 on Cardwell’s dunk’s as chants of “Let’s go Auburn” echoed through the NBA venue.   

“That’s Auburn being Auburn right there,” Pearl said. “Our Atlanta kids have done really well. Why wouldn’t you want to come to Auburn and play? I’m grateful for our fans.”

Broome needed less than a half to record his seventh double-double of the season, compiling 17 points and 14 rebounds by halftime. 

“They may be the best team in the country right now,” Ohio State coach Jake Diebler said. “They’re certainly playing as one of the best in the country. They have a lot of experience, and they made us pay when we made a mistake.”

Broome got Auburn on the scoreboard with a 3-pointer, followed soon after by 3-pointers from Miles Kelly and Tahaad Pettiford during a 15-2 run that gave the Tigers a 10-point lead at the first media timeout.

Broome’s steal and layup put Auburn ahead 22-8, forcing an Ohio State timeout during which State Farm Arena sounded more like Neville Arena than a neutral site. 

Jones’ second 3-pointer capped a 7-0 run that gave Auburn a 25-8 lead before the Tigers went cold during a drought that lasted 6 minutes, 41 seconds. 

The Buckeyes shaved only six points off Auburn’s lead before Broome’s bucket and free throw ended the dry spell and started a 9-0 Tigers run. 

Associate head coach Steven Pearl left the team hotel early Saturday morning to return to Auburn where his wife Brittany, gave birth to their first child, Lainey Marie. 

“We’ve got great things to celebrate,” Bruce Pearl said. “Steven Pearl had a great defensive gameplan set up. Our team is pretty locked in to how we guard. The only way we can control our destiny is by locking in on the defensive end.”

Jones added two more 3-pointers late in the half, including one from well beyond NBA range that made him 4-for-4 in the first half from deep.

Ohio State, known for its 3-point shooting, made only 1 of 9 3-point attempts in the first half while Auburn hit 9 of 16, taking a 49-21 halftime lead on Pettiford’s lob to Cardwell in the final minute.

Auburn (9-1) returns to Neville Arena Tuesday to host Georgia State at 7 p.m. CT on SEC Network+ and the Auburn Sports Network. 

Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer

POSTGAME NOTES

• For the eighth-straight game, Auburn went with the starting lineup of Denver Jones, Miles Kelly, Chad Baker-Mazara, Johni Broome and Dylan Cardwell.
• With the win, Auburn is now 4-1 all-time when playing in Holiday Hoopsgiving.
• Auburn improved to 9-1 on the season with its fourth win of more than 30 points this season.
• The win marked head coach Bruce Pearl’s 209th win in his 11 seasons at Auburn, putting him four wins behind Joel Eaves for the most career coachin wins in program history.
• The Tigers scored 90 points for the fifth time this season including the third time in the last four games. During this stretch, Auburn has averaged 89.3 points per game. 
• The AU defense held Ohio State to a season-low 53 points. The Buckeyes’ previous low was 59 points vs. Maryland. It was the fourth time the Tigers have held an opponent under 60 points this season including the last two games.
• Auburn’s 13 blocks are the most for the Tigers since blocking 14 shots against Texas A&M on Feb. 12, 2022.
• The Tigers’ five turnovers are the fewest since they also committed five turnovers against South Carolina in last year’s SEC Tournament.
• Auburn went 13-of-30 from long range for the second-straight game. It was the sixth time the Tigers have made double-digit 3-pointers this season including the last three games. They have shot 42.4 percent from distance in that time span. It marked the first time Auburn has had three-straight games with double-digit 3-pointers since having four-straight such games from Nov. 26-Dec. 11, 2021.
• AU went 12-of-14 from the foul line including 10-of-11 in the second half. Chad Baker-Mazara was 4-of-4 from the charity stripe and has now made 24-consecutive free throws.
• Auburn pulled down a season-best 16 offensive rebounds including seven by Johni Broome, which led to 19 second-chance points. The Tigers are averaging 15.3 offensive rebounds in the last three contests.
• The Tiers placed four players in double figures, led by Broome, who finished with 21 points and a career-high 20 rebounds to go with six assists, three blocks and one steal against the Buckeyes. • Broome became the first Auburn player to record a 20-point, 20-rebound game since Kelvin Ardister had 22 points and 20 rebounds vs. Tennessee Jan. 4, 1989. It was Broome’s 36th-straight game in double figures. He had a double-double in the first half for the third time this season with 17 points and 14 rebounds to go with four assists, one block and one steal, his 67th career double-double. It was his first career 20-20 game.
• Denver Jones scored 14 points including going 4-of-4 from long range in the first half. His four 3-pointers marked a season high. It was the eighth game in double figures on the season for Jones.
• Freshman Jahki Howard scored in double figures for the second-straight game, going for 11 points, all in the second half, against Ohio State after scoring 13 points against Richmond. He made 3-of-4 field goals including both of his 3-point attempt. Howard also went 3-of-3 from the foul line against the Buckeyes. 
• Dylan Cardwell scored in double figures for the third time this season finishing with 10 points and matched his season high with eight boards and set a new season high with four blocks against Ohio State.