Sunday fun day: No. 2 Auburn routs Richmond in Neville Arena return

AUBURN, Ala. – No. 2 Auburn woke up early, started fast and never trailed against Richmond, smashing the Spiders 98-54 Sunday at Neville Arena in the Tigers’ first home game in nearly three weeks. 

“That had a chance to be a trap game coming off Maui and then Duke,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. “I’m very impressed with my guys for being excited about playing. Our guys respected them, they honored the game and played hard. We turned them over early and that set the tone for us. The crowd was great, and our kids entertained them pretty good.”

Miles Kelly and Tahaad Pettiford each scored 15 points to pace six Tigers in double figures in a game that tipped at 11 a.m. CT as part of a doubleheader with Auburn’s women’s team. 

Chad Baker-Mazara and Jahki Howard each added 13 points, with the latter logging his career high and eliciting the game’s loudest cheers with electrifying dunks.

“It doesn’t surprise me,” Pettiford said of his fellow freshman’s aerial exploits. “It was huge. I’ve seen that multiple times. It’s nothing new. He was loving it. He’s happy doing it.”

“There’s an example of a guy who can help us get better,” Pearl said of Howard. “I was pleased with having him on the floor and some of the things he did.”

Johni Broome filled the stat sheet with 11 points, five rebounds, two blocked shots and a game-high six assists, making Richmond pay for double-teams by finding teammates for open shots. 

“Givet me the ball so I can throw it to a teammate,” said Pearl, paraphrasing Broome’s unselfishness. “That was really pretty basketball.”

“It’s super beneficial,” Kelly said of Broome’s passing. “We work on knocking down shots in practice. Having an All-American big, he’s going to command a lot of attention. As guards, we have to knock down shots.”  

Denver Jones added 11 points and five rebounds. 

Jones, Kelly and Pettiford each hit three 3-pointers in the first half to help the Tigers take a 25-point halftime lead. The trio combined for 11 of Auburn’s 13 3-pointers. 

“It makes whatever offense you’re running much better when you have to guard us on the perimeter,” Pearl said. “Richmond picked their poison. Double-team inside and the perimeter’s open. Fortunately, our guys made shots.”

Pettiford got hot early, then Jones hit his trio in a two-minute span, and Kelly took over late, scoring the last nine points of the first half on a pair of 3s and three free throws in the closing minute and a half. 

Auburn forced nine first-half turnovers, turning them into nine points. 

Auburn stretched its lead to 37 points early in the second half on the strength of three Dylan Cardwell finishes, a 4-point play by Baker Mazara and an alley-oop from Broom to CBM during a 12-0 run. 

Auburn finished the game on a 10-0 run to win by 44. 

The Tigers (8-1) will take a break from competition during finals week before meeting Ohio State Saturday at noon CT at State Farm Arena in Atlanta in Auburn’s annual Holiday Hoopsgiving appearance. 

“We’ve got to get back to work,” Kelly said. “We’re going to get our bodies right so we can be fresh for Ohio State.”

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

POSTGAME NOTES

• For the seventh-straight game, Auburn went with the starting lineup of Denver Jones, Miles Kelly, Chad Baker-Mazara and Johni Broome and Dylan Cardwell.
• With the win, Auburn now leads 4-1 in the all-time series with Richmond including 2-0 under head coach Bruce Pearl.
• Auburn saw its 59th-consecutive sellout crowd at Neville Arena (9,121).
• The Tigers have now won 58-consecutive home non-conference games.
• Bruce Pearl claimed his 208th win in his 13 seasons as Auburn head coach, putting him five wins behind Joel Eaves, who won 213 games in 14 seasons as the Tigers’ head coach, for the most career coaching wins in program history.
• Auburn set first-half season-highs with 52 points, nine 3-pointers and 14 assists. The Tigers’ 25-point halftime lead matched their season high versus Vermont (46-21). It was the fourth 50-point half for Auburn this season.
• The Tigers registered 23 assists on 33 made field goals. It was the fourth time they have recorded at least 23 assists in a game this season including 25 against North Alabama and 23 against Kent State and Memphis. Nine different players recorded an assist for AU against Richmond.
• Auburn made 13-of-30 from long range. It marked the fifth time this season the Tigers have made double-digit 3-pointers and the first time they have done so in consecutive games after going 10-of-25 from distance at Duke.
• The Tigers matched their season high (vs. Vermont) with 10 steals against Richmond.
• Auburn scored 41 bench points, which marked the second time the Tigers have scored at least 40 bench points in a game this season (47 vs. Vermont).
• AU grabbed a season-high 49 rebounds including pulling down 15 offensive boards for the second-straight game – leading to a season-high 22 second-chance points. Twelve different Tigers recorded a rebound against Richmond. 
• Auburn held Richmond to 27.1 percent shooting (16-of-59) including 20.0 from 3-point range (6-of-30), which is a season low for an opponent. It was the second time this season the Tigers have held an opponent to under 30 percent shooting (25.9 percent vs. Vermont). 
• The Tigers placed six players in double figures for the second time this season and the first time since the North Carolina game. The Tigers were led by Miles Kelly and Tahaad Pettiford with 15 points apiece. Kelly went 4-of-5 from 3-point range and added five rebounds, three steals and two assists against the Spiders. It was his sixth game in double figures this season including back-to-back contests, where he is shooting 8-of-10 from beyond the arc.
• Pettiford matched his career high with 10 first-half points (Iowa State) and finished 4-of-8 from long range to go with three assists, three rebounds, one block and one steal. He is 8-of-16 from distance in his last two games and has made at least four 3-pointers three times this season.
• Chad Baker-Mazara and Jahki Howard each scored 13 points in the win. Baker-Mazara, who has scored in double figures eight times this season, including the last seven contests, finished with six rebounds, five assists, one block and one steal against Richmond. Outside of the exhibition games, it was Howard’s first career game in double figures. He matched his career high with four rebounds on the afternoon.
• Johni Broome and Denver Jones chipped-in 11 points apiece. Broome tied his season high with six assists and added five rebounds and two blocks. It was his 35th-consecutive game in double figures. He went over 900 made field goals and 2,200 points in his career on the afternoon, finishing the game with 901 field goals and 2,203 points.
• Jones matched his season with three 3-pointers and pulled down a season high five boards in the win. It was his seventh game in double figures this season.