No. 1 Auburn throttles No. 15 Mississippi State in 1st game without Broome

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Chad Baker-Mazara scored 20 points, and No. 1 Auburn beat No. 15 Mississippi State 88-66 on Tuesday night in its first game without star center Johni Broome.

Chaney Johnson, who replaced Broome in the starting lineup, had 17 points, eight rebounds and four blocks for Auburn (16-1, 4-0 SEC). Broome is out indefinitely with a left ankle sprain that he sustained last Saturday in Auburn’s 66-63 win at South Carolina.

Baker-Mazara shot 8 for 11, including 3 for 5 on 3-pointers. Miles Kelly and Denver Jones both scored 13, while Tahaad Pettiford added 12.

Mississippi State (14-3, 2-2) shot just 35%. Josh Hubbard scored 17 points but was only 2 for 12.

Takeaways

Mississippi State: Chris Jans’ team has been much improved on offense so far this season, but it has been streaky with its shooting. The Bulldogs only hit three of their 24 3-pointers.

Auburn: The Tigers proved they could beat a quality opponent without their best player. Bruce Pearl said everyone on his team would have to step up in Broome’s absence, and they did Tuesday.

Key moment

Auburn set the tone early by going on a 10-0 run to open the game, with Baker-Mazara scoring the final eight points.Key stat

Auburn had as many blocks (9) as Mississippi State had made field goals in the first half, allowing the Tigers to go into the break with a 19-point lead.

Up next

On Saturday, Auburn visits No. 23 Georgia, while Mississippi State hosts No. 21 Ole Miss.

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