Broome had 30 points and 17 rebounds to lead No. 4 Auburn to a 102-69 win over North Alabama.

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Johni Broome had 30 points and 17 rebounds and No. 4 Auburn defeated North Alabama 102-69 on Monday night.

Denver Jones added 13 points and a career-high nine assists for the Tigers (4-0). Chad Baker-Mazara and Miles Kelly scored 12 points each.

Auburn fell behind twice in the first half but was able to take control in the final minutes before halftime. Broome scored 16 first-half points in the final 7:35 alone.

Jacari Lane led the Lions (3-2) with 16 points. Daniel Ortiz and Will Soucie added 15 points each.

takeaway

North Alabama: The Lions, who averaged 92.3 points in the previous three games, are off to an excellent start offensively against one of the toughest defenses in the country. North Alabama couldn’t get Auburn to work for 40 minutes, but Tony Pujol’s offense looked much improved from the season opener.

Auburn: The Tigers hit the reset button at point guard, with Jones moving into the starting position here after serving as a shooting guard last season. It’s done well so far; Auburn’s ball movement was key to free-flowing offense.

key moment

North Alabama took the lead with a 3-pointer with 5:12 left in the first half, then Broome took control. He scored seven points in a row in the beginning and six points towards the end, going on an 18-4 run and sending the Tigers to the locker room with a double-digit lead.

Key statistics

Broome’s 30 points tied his best mark in three seasons at Auburn. While at Morehead State in March 2022, he scored 32 points against Murray State.

next

Auburn will have a week off before facing #5 Iowa State in the Maui Invitational next Monday. North Alabama will face Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday in Natchitoches, Louisiana.

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