Tag: Trae Donaldson

Recap: Auburn gets revenge, cuts down the nets in Nashville

The Auburn Tigers are your 2023-2024 SEC Tournament Champions. 

The Auburn Tigers are your 2023-2024 SEC Tournament Champions.

Bruce Pearl challenged his team to win nine games in a row before its SEC Tournament opener on Friday and [autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag] and company have responded by notching the first three.

While it wasn’t quite Neville Arena, Sunday’s championship against Florida felt like a home game in “Auburn North”.

The Auburn family brought the energy inside Bridgestone Arena from the get-go, although the building did calm down significantly following a gruesome leg injury suffered by Florida center Micah Handlogten.

Handlogten was ultimately stretchered off, and the energy returned to the tune of Auburn defensively disrupting a potent Gators offense en route to a 38-30 halftime lead.

Mark Clayton Jr. and the rest of the Gator offense managed to cut the Auburn lead to a single point quickly into the second half, getting the score to 45-44 within the first four minutes. Guard [autotag]Trae Donaldson[/autotag] quickly responded by knocking down a “parking lot” 3-point shot then stealing a Clayton Jr. pass on the other end that turned into a [autotag]Denver Jones[/autotag] transition dunk.

From that moment on it was all Auburn. The Tigers outscored Florida 41-27 from that point on. The Championship was in hand by the under 4:00 timeout.

While Donaldson had a massive impact off the bench, the star of the afternoon was none other than forward [autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag], who picked up his second double-double of the SEC Tournament.

The Junior led all scorers in the game with 19 points while also providing 3 blocks on the defensive end. Forwards [autotag]Jaylin Williams[/autotag], [autotag]Chris Moore[/autotag], [autotag]Chaney Johnson[/autotag], and [autotag]Dylan Cardwell[/autotag] also played fantastic minutes against a tall Florida front court.

Auburn’s 86-67 win continues a trend of dominance we’ve seen from Auburn this season. Every Tigers win has come by double-digits other than one.

The Tigers have every chance to run the table again in the NCAA Tournament. We’ll see who they’ll face in a few short hours.

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Recap: Auburn emphatically punches ticket into SEC Tournament Semis

If you had any doubts about Auburn’s ability to make a deep run into March, the Tigers proved that pessimism was unwarranted on Friday afternoon in Nashville.

If you had any doubts about Auburn’s ability to make a deep run into March, the Tigers proved that pessimism was unwarranted on Friday afternoon in Nashville.

[autotag]Bruce Pearl[/autotag]’s Tigers absolutely bullied the South Carolina Gamecocks for 40 minutes in an 86-55 SEC Tournament Quarterfinal win. If not for a few early offensive rebounds by B.J. Mack and the other Gamecock forwards this thing would have never been close.

Auburn’s No. 7 ranked KenPom defense showed up massively, holding South Carolina to a measly 55 points in the game. The aforementioned Mack along with other star Meechie Johnson combined for just 17 points, which is nearly 11 points lower than their per game average this season.

On the offensive end, things didn’t change much from what we saw in the regular season. The Tigers ran their sets through star forward [autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag], relying heavily on the junior’s presence to not only score but create open looks for the guards.

Auburn’s best player finished his afternoon with a game-high 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 assists. Frontcourt mate [autotag]Jaylin Williams[/autotag] played a solid game as well, but it was the backcourt quartet of [autotag]Chad Baker-Mazara[/autotag], [autotag]Aden Holloway[/autotag], [autotag]Trae Donaldson[/autotag] and [autotag]Denver Jones[/autotag] that stood out on Broadway.

Baker-Mazara was his normal “stat-stuffing” self with 8 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists, while Jones, Donaldson and Holloway shot an extremely efficient 50% from the field for 21 combined points.

Senior [autotag]K.D Johnson[/autotag] was his usual, “sparkplug”, self off the bench as well, adding 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists.

If Bruce Pearl can get that kind of production and efficiency from his guards during the remainder of the postseason, the sky is truly the limit for Auburn in March.

Next up for the Tigers is a matchup right back in Bridgestone Arena against Mississippi State at 12:00 PM Central with a trip to the SEC Championship on the line.

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Recap: Auburn throttles South Carolina at Neville Arena

No. 12 Auburn bounced back in a major way on Wednesday Night by taking down South Carolina by 40 points at home.

Neville Arena has become the best home-court advantage across college basketball.

The No. 12 Auburn Tigers (20-5, 9-3 SEC) won another game in double-digit, blowout fashion in front of their home crowd on Wednesday night. This lopsided affair was never very close after a 9-4 Gamecock run to open the game.

The 101-61 final was No. 11 South Carolina (21-4, 9-3 SEC)’s worst loss of the season, the 40-point margin was also Auburn’s largest over an AP top-25 team in program history.

Star guard Meechie Johnson and company had no answer for a devastating Auburn defensive attack all night long. One of the hottest teams in the SEC, and college basketball, was rattled for a good 30 minutes of this game.

The aforementioned Johnson along with stars B.J Mack and Colin Murray Boyles were solid, but the remainder of the Gamecocks roster scored just 6 points to help them. On the offensive side, Auburn’s scoring attack was once again led by forwards [autotag]Jaylin Williams[/autotag] and [autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag].

The latter did his best Steph Curry impression ahead of the NBA’s All-Star Weekend, knocking down a career-best four 3-point shots on his way to 21 points.

Williams, who normally does most of his work inside as well, decided Broome needed a splash brother by hitting four threes of his own.  In total, the senior shot (8/11) from the field in a customarily efficient night.

Auburn’s second best player finished his night with 23 points, two rebounds, one assists, and one contact lens lost late in the second half.

Plenty of other Tigers chipped in during Auburn’s third 100+ point performance of the season. [autotag]Chad Baker-Mazara[/autotag], [autotag]K.D Johnson[/autotag], [autotag]Denver Jones[/autotag], [autotag]Trae Donaldson[/autotag], [autotag]Dylan Cardwell[/autotag], and [autotag]Chaney Johnson[/autotag] all contributed two or more field goals.

Auburn will celebrate the massive victory before preparing to face a very talented Kentucky team on Saturday night back at Neville Arena.

South Carolina should be due for a bounce back this weekend when LSU comes to town on Saturday afternoon.

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Recap: No. 11 Auburn makes statement with blowout win over No. 16 Alabama

After an extremely impressive win in Oxford over Ole Miss on Saturday, Auburn may have outdone themselves Wednesday against Alabama.

After No. 11 Auburn lost to No. 16 Alabama two weeks ago in Coleman Coliseum forward [autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag] was asked how the Tigers would treat the matchup in Neville Arena a few weeks later.

The junior responded with a succinct “It’s personal.”

Things certainly felt personal for Broome and the Tigers on an emotional Wednesday night in Auburn that ended in a 99-81 win over the rival Crimson Tide.

After an up-and-down first 15 minutes that saw the game deadlocked at 39, Auburn’s defense and timely shooting took over. Broome and fellow Forward [autotag]Jaylin Williams[/autotag] went on a two-man, 16-2 run to end the half, giving the Tigers a 14-point cushion as they went to the locker room.

The duo finished the night with 50 combined points, leading Auburn to a 99-81 home victory to knot things up atop the SEC standings.

Guards [autotag]Tre Donaldson[/autotag]and [autotag]Chad Baker-Mazara[/autotag] have become key complimentary pieces on the offensive end for the Tigers in SEC play. Tonight they were spectacular. The pair shot an effective 50% from the field in the win, combining for 27 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 assists.

While Auburn’s offense was extremely effective, the defense of [autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag], [autotag]Chris Moore[/autotag] [autotag]K.D Johnson[/autotag] in particular was also a story.

Broome’s five blocks and two steals combined with three steals apiece from Johnson and Moore led to transition opportunity after transition opportunity for an Auburn team that struggled shooting in the half court.

The 10+ turnover margin created by a suffocating Auburn defense was a major factor on the night. Other than the turnover issues, Alabama’s offense suffered from the road woes that have plagued it all season long.

Alabama guard Mark Sears and company made just 9 3-point shots on 26 attempts and only assisted on 8 made baskets. The Crimson Tide were bailed out by a bad Georgia defense in their last road game before tonight. [autotag]Bruce Pearl[/autotag] made sure his defense did not suffer the same fate as the Bulldogs.

Auburn’s victory improves the Tigers to 19-4 on the season and 8-2 in the SEC. The Orange and Blue will enjoy tonight’s victory before traveling to Gainesville to take on a red-hot Florida team on Saturday.

As for Alabama, the Tide drop to 16-7 and 8-2 in the SEC. They’ll travel down to Baton Rouge to battle a rejuvenated LSU team this weekend.

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Recap: Auburn erupts in second half, takes down Ole Miss for season sweep

It wasn’t easy, but the Auburn Tigers found a way to win on Saturday in Oxford.

Johni took out the Broom(e) on the Ole Miss Rebels Saturday afternoon.

The superstar forward took over in the final 10 minutes of No. 16 Auburn’s 91-77 win over the Ole Miss Rebels in Oxford, scoring 15 points to help the Tigers improve to 18-4 on the season and complete the season sweep of the Rebels. Broome also added 9 rebounds and a season-high 7 assists.

Most importantly, the road win finally gives Auburn its first “Quad 1” victory of the season.

The double-digit victory was anything but smooth sailing for [autotag]Bruce Pearl[/autotag]’s squad.

After a hot start that saw Ole Miss shoot 8 out of their first 12 from the field, the Rebels took a 9-point lead into the halftime locker room.

Guards Matthew Murrell and old friend Allen Flanigan could not miss in the first half and ultimately stayed hot throughout the game, combining for 38 of the Rebels points in the loss.

Unfortunately for them, the supporting cast of Sharks mostly sank in the second half. Forward Moussa Cissé was solid, but foul trouble and a mental-match with [autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag] led him to disappear in stretches.

The exact opposite can be said for Auburn. Six Tigers finished in double figures in the game.

[autotag]Chad Baker-Mazara[/autotag], [autotag]Jaylin Williams[/autotag], [autotag]Denver Jones[/autotag], [autotag]Trae Donaldson,[/autotag] and [autotag]K.D Johnson[/autotag] all finished with 10+ points in the game.

While Donaldson did most of his damage in the first half to keep the Tigers afloat, the other four scored their points almost exclusively in the final 20 minutes.

Auburn’s 91 points are the most the team has scored on the road this season. The Tigers will hope to take that momentum into their biggest home game of the season on Wednesday night, when they host Alabama at 6 PM CST.

As for Ole Miss, the Rebels may be see their SEC record drop below .500 after upcoming games at South Carolina and Kentucky.

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Recap: Auburn gets back on track, bulldozes Vanderbilt 81-54

The Auburn Tigers got back to their winning ways on Wednesday as they handed Vanderbilt yet another blowout SEC loss.

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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Recap: Auburn loses second straight in Starkville

The Auburn Tigers lost their second straight SEC game on Saturday, losing in disappointing fashion to the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

The Plains weren’t the only thing that looked flat in Auburn on Saturday.

[autotag]Bruce Pearl[/autotag] and the No. 6 Auburn Tigers barely showed up for their seventh SEC tilt against Mississippi State, losing 64-58 to the Bulldogs.

The Tigers shot just 35% from the field in the game.

Forward [autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag] was efficient but overall not very productive on an afternoon where his team desperately needed him, as the junior finished with a team-high 14 points on just 7 attempts from the field.

Auburn’s backcourt struggled once again on the road, as [autotag]Trae Donaldson[/autotag], [autotag]Aden Holloway[/autotag], and [autotag]K.D Johnson[/autotag] combined for just 13 points in the contest.

Mississippi State came into the game with a ferocious defense, especially at home, but Auburn’s inability to score the basketball for the second straight road came is definitely cause for concern.

As for Mississippi State, star forward Tolu Smith arguably outplayed Broome in this game. The senior not only shut down Broome on the defensive end, but also contributed 9 points and 8 rebounds in the game. He was a key cog in the Bulldogs defensive stand to hold off Auburn’s comeback attempt as well. Smith also helped Mississippi State out-rebound Auburn by 15 in the game.

Auburn’s second-straight loss drops the Tigers to 5-2 in SEC play. They’ll go back to the drawing board before returning to Neville Arena to host Vanderbilt on Wednesday.

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Gallery: The best images from Auburn’s tough loss in Tuscaloosa

The best images from Auburn’s loss in Tuscaloosa

The Auburn Tigers’ win streak ended at 11 games last night in Coleman Coliseum against the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Auburn came out slowly and ultimately entered the halftime locker room down by 14 points. [autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag], [autotag]Denver Jones[/autotag], and [autotag]Trae Donaldson[/autotag] caught fire in the second half, bringing the Tigers back to even at times in the final five minutes.

It wasn’t quite enough, as Alabama escaped with a 79-75 victory to improve to 5-1 in the SEC.

Here are the best photos from the “Iron Bowl of Basketball”.

 

Recap: Auburn’s comeback attempt falls short against Alabama

Recap: Auburn’s comeback attempt falls short against Alabama

It is extremely difficult to win college basketball games on the road. It is even more difficult to do that in the SEC, especially against a rival.

The Auburn Tigers learned that fact the hard way on Wednesday night, falling to Alabama in Tuscaloosa, 79-75, for their first SEC loss of the season.

Auburn, much like the lighting inside of Coleman Coliseum, came out flat out of the gates in this one.

After jumping out to a very early lead, the Tigers struggled to do anything well on offense or defense for most of the first half.

Crimson Tide guards were seeing wide baskets throughout the half leading to a 47% mark from 3-point range, while Auburn’s perimeter players were trying to shoot a metaphorical bowling ball into a keyhole.

The Tigers entered the locker room trailing 44-30, but came out furiously in the second half, cutting the Alabama lead to just six within the first five minutes.

Star forward [autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag] was the major reason why. Broome collected a third of Auburn’s 75 points on the night, grabbing 14 rebounds in the losing effort as well.

Broome’s tenacity paired with timely shots from [autotag]Trae Donaldson[/autotag], [autotag]Chad Baker-Mazara[/autotag], and [autotag]Denver Jones[/autotag] kept Auburn’s hopes alive until the very end, but the halftime deficit was ultimately too much to overcome.

[autotag]Bruce Pearl[/autotag]’s squad fell 79-75 in the end. The loss is Auburn’s first since December 3 against Appalachian State.

While the loss is discouraging for a team that was working on the fourth-longest winning streak in Divison 1, there were some good things the Tigers can take away from Tuscaloosa.

Auburn shot better as a team in the game, converting on 42% of its field goals compared to Alabama’s 38% mark.

The Tigers also won the turnover battle, collecting more steals and more blocks than the Tide.

Unfortunately, Auburn’s downfall came in the 3-point department, from the free throw line, and on the offensive glass.

Freshman guard [autotag]Aden Holloway[/autotag] didn’t connect on a single 3-point attempt in the game, contributing to a 5/25 mark overall. Meanwhile, Alabama connected on 11 of its 30 3-point attempts.

Nate Oats’ team also out-rebounded Auburn by 5 and made 2 more free throw attempts. In a close game, those margins matter.

Auburn will have a few days to take in the loss before the Tigers wrap up their week in Starkville on Saturday against Mississippi State.

As for Alabama, the Tide have an opportunity to take control of the SEC when they host a mediocre LSU team on Saturday.

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