Johni Broome has Big Night as Auburn Takes Down North Alabama

Auburn's Johni Broome mopped the floor with the Lions en route to one of the best games of his career.

Auburn's Johni Broome had himself a night / Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The No. 4 Auburn Tigers took care of business against the North Alabama Lions, beating them 102-69 to improve to 4-0 on the 2024-25 campaign. 

The first half was closer than the box score would suggest. With 3:03 left in the half, Auburn only led by four points, 39-35. However, pulled away in the final minutes and never looked back. 

Johni Broome recorded the 62nd double-double of his college career with 30 points and 17 rebounds. It is the third time in his career that he has put up 30 points in a game. Additionally, Broome shot 13-of-17 from the field and had three blocks. The veteran big man has gotten off to a hot start in his third season with the Tigers.

“I walk into every game looking to take over,” Broome said, “and put my stamp on the game. Today it was scoring and rebounding. I thought my team needed it in those moments, so I did it.”

“We had a huge advantage on the inside and it took us a while to get there,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. “Johni Broome proved he’s an All-American.”

Auburn’s depth, which has been one of the biggest strengths for the team so far this season, did not play much of a role tonight. It had 23 bench points, but most came in garbage time. The Tigers had nine bench points with just over five minutes left in the game.

Taking care of the ball was more of a struggle for the Tigers tonight. After limiting themselves to four turnovers in the first half, the Tigers finished the game with 11, its second-most this season.

Even though it did not affect the outcome, North Alabama took advantage of Auburn’s turnovers, scoring 11 points off them. This was tied for the second-most points off turnovers Auburn has allowed this season.

Auburn shot 61.9% from the field, 44.4% from 3-point range and 70.6% from the free-throw line. The Tigers were led in scoring and rebounds by Broome who dominated the game in both categories. Denver Jones led the team in assists with nine.

North Alabama shot 42.2% from the field, 33.3% from 3-point range and 90.9% from the free-throw line. The Lions were led in scoring by Jacari Lane who had 16 points, in rebounds by Cornelious Williams with eight and in assists by Will Soucie with three.

Auburn returns to action on Monday for its first Maui Invitational contest game against No. 5 Iowa State. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. CT and ESPNU will carry the television broadcast.

“The next four games are going to be against Elite Eight-caliber teams,” Pearl said. “It’ll be a true test, a true measure of where we’re at.”

POSTGAME NOTES

• For the second-straight game, Auburn went with the starting lineup of Denver Jones, Miles Kelly, Chad Baker-Mazara, Johni Broome and Dylan Cardwell. Jones, Baker-Mazara, Broome and Cardwell have started all four games this season.

• With the win, Auburn now leads 6-0 in the all-time series with North Alabama. All six games have been played in Auburn.

• Auburn is off to a 4-0 start for the fifth time in the last nine seasons. Prior to the last nine seasons, the Tigers had not won their first four games since starting 4-0 in 2011-12.

• Tonight marked the 58th-consecutive sellout crowd at Neville Arena (9,121).

• AU has now won 57-consecutive non-conference home games.

• The win marked Bruce Pearl’s 204th victory as Auburn’s head coach, putting him nine wins behind Joel Eaves, who won 213 games in 14 seasons at Auburn, for the most head coaching victories in program history.

• Auburn’s 102-point outburst was the Tigers most points since they scored 104 points against Indiana last season on Dec. 9, 2023 as part of Holiday Hoopsgiving in Atlanta. The Tigers’ 50-point first half was their highest-scoring first half since registering 50 points against South Carolina last season on Feb. 14.

• The Tigers shot a season-best 61.9 percent (39-of-63) from the field. It was the team’s best shooting effort since shooting 62.1 percent at Georgia last season.

• Auburn went 12-of-27 from 3-point range against the Lions. It was the second time the Tigers have hit double-digit 3-pointers this season and the first since making 16 shots from long range in the season opener against Vermont.

• The Tigers recorded 25 assists on 39 made field goals, which is the most assists in a single game since they dished out 29 assists versus Georgia last season. Nine players recorded an assist for Auburn in the win.

• Auburn recorded season highs scoring 26 points off 13 North Alabama turnovers and scoring 50 points in the paint. It surpassed the Tigers’ 25 points off turnovers against Vermont in the season opener and their 42 points in the paint against Kent State.

• AU placed five players in double figures for the second time this season and the first time since the season opener against the Catamounts.

• Johni Broome led the Tigers with an Auburn-career-high-tying 30 points, 17 rebounds, which was one rebound off his overall collegiate career high, three blocks and one assist. Broome scored 17 points in the first half, which was the most points he has scored before halftime at Auburn, topping the 16 points he scored in the first half vs. Virginia Tech and at Alabama last year.

• Broome went 13-of-17 from the floor including one 3-pointer on the night. He became the 31st player in Auburn history to reach 1,100 career points, finishing the night with 1,123 points. It was his second career game at Auburn with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds after his 30-point, 13-rebound effort against Virginia Tech last season in the SEC/ACC Challenge. Broome has 169 blocks in his Auburn career, which puts him one blocked shot behind Horace Spencer for fourth on the Tigers’ career blocks leaderboard.

• Chad Baker-Mazara and Denver Jones each scored in double figures for the third time in four games this season. Jones chipped in with 13 points on 4-of-6 field goals, 3-of-5 from long range and 2-of-2 from the free-throw line to go with a career-high nine assists and two steals. Baker-Mazara finished with 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting including 3-of-6 from 3-point range. He added two rebounds, two assists and one steal.

• Dylan Cardwell tied his career high with 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting against North Alabama. He also added three rebounds, two assists and one block on the night.

• Miles Kelly scored in double figures for the second time this season with 12 points against North Alabama, including a pair of 3-pointers, to go with three rebounds, three assists and one block.