AUBURN – The Auburn Tigers (4-1) picked up an 84-54 win over the Alabama A&M Bulldogs (1-3).
Auburn got off to a fast start but let up significantly in the second half.
“We really haven’t put two good halves together yet," Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. "Great second half against Notre Dame, great first half against Baylor, great first half against St. Bonaventure, great first half here tonight (against Alabama A&M). But, we haven’t put two together, so that’s for me to figure out. Thirteen assists and one turnover in the first half, five assists and 12 turnovers in the second half. I’m disappointed, but I wish I was surprised, but I’m not.”
What are the biggest things to take away from the game?
Chaney Johnson breakout game
Junior forward Chaney Johnson led Auburn in scoring with 15 points. He also grabbed four rebounds.
Johnson shot 6-8 from the field and 3-4 from the free-throw line.
“It’s an amazing feeling, man," Johnson said. "My trust is in Jesus, so I know whether it’s a good game or bad game, he’s always going to be by my side. I try not to let missed shots really mess with me, I just go out there and play and the shots will fall eventually.”
If Johnson can provide that level of production consistently, Auburn will be in good shape this season.
Auburn's bench was productive
Auburn had 49 points come from the bench.
Johnson came off the bench. Johni Broome, who scored 10 points, also came off the bench in this game.
“I don’t think it had anything to do with the flow," Pearl said on deciding who should start and who should come off the bench. "They (Alabama A&M) scored 39 points in the second half and we sent them to the line 13 times. It was only four in the first half. The defense was in front of our bench in the first half. We were obviously flying around and doing what we needed to do. Once again, our second-half defense dropped off. The second-half offense, again, 13 assists and one turnover, five and 12 (in the second half). What kind of playmaking are you making? A lot of guys settled for real tough twos and we just didn’t make the extra pass.”
Pearl has talked extensively about how deep this team is. Tuesday night was a testament to that.
3-point shooting was not good
Auburn shot 6-24 (25%) from beyond the arch. Alabama A&M shot 3-15 (20%) from beyond the arch.
Three-point shooting was expected to be one of Auburn's biggest strengths this season, but that has not proven to be the case so far, and Tuesday did not help that.
Auburn took care of the ball
Auburn won the turnover battle in this game, only committing 13 while Alabama A&M committed 14.
At halftime, Auburn had only turned the ball over once. Taking care of the ball needs to remain a focus for this team as the season goes along.
Auburn will be back in action on November 29 when the Virginia Tech Hokies come to Neville Arena. Tipoff is set for 8:15 p.m. CT, and the broadcast can be found on ESPN2.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email daniel.locke@1819news.com.
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