AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Johni Broome had 30 points and 17 rebounds as No. 4 Auburn beat North Alabama 102-69 on Monday night.
Denver Jones added 13 points and a career-high nine assists for the Tigers (4-0). Chad Baker-Mazara and Miles Kelly both scored 12.
Auburn fell behind twice in the first half but was able to take firm control in the final minutes before halftime. Broome scored 16 first-half points in the final 7:35 alone.
Jacari Lane led the Lions (3-2) with 16 points. Daniel Ortiz and Will Soucie added 15 apiece.
Takeaways
North Alabama: After averaging 92.3 points over their previous three games, the Lions got off to an excellent start on offense against one of the toughest defenses in the country. North Alabama was unable to hang with Auburn for all 40 minutes, but Tony Pujol’s offense looks much-improved to open the season.
Auburn: The Tigers hit the reset button at point guard, and Jones has moved into a starting role there after being a shooting guard last season. He has done well so far, with Auburn’s ball movement being the key to a free-flowing offense.
Key moment
North Alabama hit a 3-pointer to take the lead with 5:12 remaining in the first half, then Broome took over. He scored seven straight points to start — and then six straight points to end — an 18-4 run to send the Tigers to the locker room with a double-digit lead.
Key stat
Broome’s 30 points tied his best mark in three seasons at Auburn. He scored 32 against Murray State in March 2022, when he was at Morehead State.
Up next
Auburn will have a week off before it faces No. 5 Iowa State in the Maui Invitational next Monday. North Alabama will take on Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday in Natchitoches, Louisiana.
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