AUBURN, AL (EETV) – Coming back from Houston as the fifth-ranked team in the country, Auburn takes down Kent State 79-56 in a physical, gritty midweek matchup.
The Tigers came out of the gate firing with a high-octane, high-paced style of play and quickly went up on the Golden Flashes 22-3 in the first eight minutes of play. The rest of the first half was a different story. Kent State outscored the Tigers 19-14 as the two teams wore down each other until the sound of the first-half buzzer.
Auburn found its rhythm again with just over five minutes left to play in the second half and capped the night with an 18-6 run to end the match. Senior Denver Jones was responsible for eight of these points.
In typical Bruce Pearl Auburn basketball fashion, just under half of the points scored came from the bench (31). Johnson led this charge and the team with 18 points. Senior Johni Broome also had 18 points of his own and led the Tigers in rebounds with 12.
“Chaney is our hardest worker,” said Pearl. “He’s getting better. He doesn’t know any other way and his confidence is up. His teammates believe in him. He can sit down and guard and you better be strong at the rim because he’s a freak show.”
Johnson is off to his best collegiate start shooting a team-leading 68% so far this season.
“Last summer, I came in with a bigger chip on my shoulder,” said Johnson postgame. “Because I knew I had to take the spot [Jaylin Williams] filled so well. I knew I was going to fill that spot so just trusting in my work. And also just playing with more confidence.”
Auburn’s defense continues to be a bright spot for the team this season, holding Kent State to just a 32.8 field-goal percentage. They are also staying disciplined about fouling their opponents.
“I think what we run is hard to guard, and we have to cover ourselves in the summer and fall. I think the way we built our defense really bothers people. It bothers me,” said Pearl.
Auburn’s physicality was highlighted in the way they dictated the lane. Auburn doubled the Golden Flashes’ points in the paint (42-21). It was this aggressive play style that drew Auburn to the free-throw line 22 times during the night. Auburn capitalized on their opponents’ mistakes and secured 17 freebies for the scoreboard.
Despite losing, the top scorer of the night was senior Voncamer Daves for the Golden Flashes. Davis, with 19 points, outscored his minute total for the game averaging over a point per minute in 18 minutes.
Auburn takes on North Alabama next on Monday, Nov. 18 at 8 p.m. CT in Neville Arena.
