AUBURN, Ala. (EETV) - The Auburn Tigers beat the Colgate Raiders, 93-66, Friday night in what may have been their best performance so far this season.
The Tigers advance to 8-0 on the season, the second time a Bruce Pearl coached Auburn team has started a season winning eight straight games.
KD Johnson led the Tigers with 16 points while going four-for-five from behind the arc
Jaylin Williams was unable to go Friday night after testing positive for COVID-19 earlier in the week. Lior Berman received meaningful minutes in Williams' place. Berman drained a corner three in the first half to score his first points of the season.
Auburn took a 47 to 33 lead into the locker room at halftime after Wendell Green hit a wild step-back three-pointer. Impressive shots like the one Green knocked down before half are why he has earned the nickname, “Logo Wen.”
On the last play of the first half, KD Johnson landed awkwardly and slammed his head on the ground after trying to score a layup. He was shaken up on the play but was able to return in the second half. “He got his bell rung, but his bell’s always rung,” Coach Pearl said.
Allen Flanigan continued his great start to the season, adding 12 points and seven rebounds. Flanigan shot five-for-seven from the floor and two-for-three from beyond the arc.
Free throws continue to be a problem for Auburn, as the Tigers shot just 52.9 percent from the charity stripe. The Tigers have shot just 65.8 percent from the free-throw line, down from 73.3 percent last season.
“The free throws concern me,” Coach Pearl said. “It’s not like we aren’t working on it… but we need to start going with a different approach.”
On the other end, Colgate also struggled to shoot free throws. The Raiders shot 42.1 percent from the line which limited their ability to get back in the game.
Dylan Cardwell capped off the win in the final 90 seconds with an impressive individual stretch. Cardwell scored a hook shot from under the basket, blocked a shot on the defensive end, then scored a dunk. He followed the sequence by blowing kisses to the Auburn Jungle, proving he is the heart of this team.
This game was never in doubt, as Auburn led for nearly 37:30 minutes of 40.
Auburn was able to make 10 threes in their win over Colgate. 10 threes are a season-high thus far, and the most since last season’s SEC regular-season finale versus South Carolina.
Auburn’s next game is against Memphis Saturday, December 10, at 4 pm CT. The contest will take place at State Farm Arena in Atlanta and is part of Holiday Hoopsgiving.
