The Vanderbilt Commodores traveling to Neville Arena was exactly what the doctor ordered for the No. 16 Auburn Tigers.
After Auburn’s first losing streak of the season happened last week, the Tigers returned home to win another game in blowout fashion. Auburn’s 27-point victory over Vanderbilt was somewhat expected, but the win nonetheless proves last week was just a hiccup in an otherwise healthy season for [autotag]Bruce Pearl[/autotag]’s squad.
Transfer shooting guard [autotag]Denver Jones[/autotag] played his best game in an Auburn uniform on Wednesday night after showing signs of life at points in the losses last week. His 19 points led all Auburn guards in the game. Results like tonight could become even more of a standard if the junior becomes the type of high-volume backcourt scorer he was at FIU.
Besides Jones, the usual suspects led the Tigers’ attack tonight. Forward [autotag]Jaylin Williams[/autotag] led all scorers in the game with 21 points, while [autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag] bounced-back from a poor game on Saturday to rack up a 16-point, 11-rebound double double.
Guards [autotag]Trae Donaldson[/autotag] and [autotag]Chad Baker-Mazara[/autotag] got back to their usual “stat sheet stuffer” selves, combining for 13 points, 12 rebounds, and 9 assists in the victory
While this game was never truly in doubt, Ezra Manjon, Tyrin Lawrence, and Vanderbilt were able to keep it within striking distance heading into the break. After a 37-27 first half, the Tigers outscored the Commodores 44-27 in the second half to put the game out of reach.
The win moves Auburn back into the win column as they improve to 6-2 in the SEC ahead of a road matchup with Ole Miss on Saturday. As for Vanderbilt, Jerry Stackhouse’s team will return home to face Missouri in a battle of winless SEC teams.
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