In the first-ever meeting between the two teams, No. 2 Auburn picked up a dominant 87-58 win over the Monmouth Hawks in Neville Arena on Monday night.
The win extends the Tigers’ streak to nine consecutive seasons of going undefeated at home against non-conference opponents – 60 straight – and gives them the best non-conference winning percentages (.859) in the SEC over the same stretch.
Here are the biggest takeaways from the game:
Auburn coasts, Monmouth starts off hot
Monmouth got a 13-9 lead at the under-16 timeout behind three 3-pointers from three players – Jaret Valencia, Madison Durr and Jack Collins. Meanwhile, Auburn was shooting 30% and started just 3-of-12 from the field.
After the Hawks jumped out to a four-point lead, a Denver Jones transition three and an and-1 from Johni Broome gave the Tigers the lead, igniting the Tigers’ offense and improving to a 45% clip from the field.
There were six lead changes through 12:07 of play.
Tigers close out first half with stellar play on both ends of the floor
Chaney Johnson sparked the Tigers’ offense and went on a 10-0 run by himself to widen Auburn’s lead en route to an 18-point advantage to close out the first half.
Leading by just two – 30-28 – with 5:48 left in the first half, the Tigers closed on an 18-0 run, forcing four Monmouth turnovers in the process. Auburn held the Hawks scoreless for the last 6:32 of play in the half.
Denver Jones chipped in nine points behind a 3-for-3 clip from beyond the arc, and Chad Baker-Mazara scored nine in the first 20 minutes. The Tigers kept the Hawks off the offensive glass in the half while corralling seven of their own offensive rebounds – Auburn won the rebounding battle 20-11 in the half.
Bashir Jr. held in check
Abdi Bashir Jr. ended his night with a team-high 15 points for the Hawks, but compared to the damage he’s done through 12 games prior – two 30-point games and six games over 20 points – the Tigers’ defense held the nation's ninth-leading scorer in check. He was held below his average of four 3-pointers a game, which is second nationally, and five of his 15 points came from the charity stripe.
The Tigers’ frontcourt, led by Jones’ defensive prowess, has held its opponents’ top scorers in check in every game this season. Coming off a performance in which it held Purdue’s Braden Smith to just eight points and five turnovers, the Tigers have held other top scorers below their season average — Houston’s Milos Uzan (10 points, three turnovers and five fouls), Iowa State’s Tamin Lipsey (6 points), Memphis’ Tyrese Hunter (11 points), Duke’s Tyrese Proctor (12 points) and Ohio State’s Bruce Thornton (3 points).
Despite slow start, overall clean play
Despite the Tigers' slow start offensively, they still played a complete 40-minute basketball game of clean play on both ends of the floor.
Auburn entered the game with the nation’s best assist-to-turnover ratio (2.15) and ended the night with 22 assists (29 made FGs) and seven turnovers. The Tigers dominated on the glass, winning the rebound battle 46-27 – 16 offensive rebounds with 15 second-chance points – and turned the Hawks over 11 times, resulting in 20 points on the other end.
The Tigers also saw four players reach double digits – Broome (14), Baker-Mazara (13), Dylan Cardwell (12) and Johnson (12). Cardwell and Broome both picked up double-double performances. Cardwell added 11 rebounds – marking his first career-double-double – and Broome hauled in 11 rebounds for his 69th career double-double.
The Tigers are back in action on Saturday as they host Missouri for the start of SEC play. Tipoff is set for 3:30 p.m. CT and can be seen on SECN.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email logan.fowler@1819News.com.
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