Behind a swarming defense and a double-double from forward Johni Broome, No. 13 Auburn rolled to an 89-65 win over visiting Winthrop on Tuesday night.
Broome, who played the previous two seasons at Morehead State, led Auburn (3-0) in scoring (18 points), rebounds (13) and blocked shots (five) in earning his first double-double as a member of the Tigers.
Guards Wendell Green Jr. and K.D. Johnson continued their sound backcourt play in the victory. Green had 16 points and was 4-for-6 from the 3-point line. He also added four rebounds and five assists. Johnson added six points, four rebounds and three assists.
Auburn center Dylan Cardwell recorded six points, six rebounds and four blocked shots in 16 minutes. He now has 14 blocked shots through three games.
Freshman forward Yohan Traore added 11 points and three rebounds as 11 different Tigers players posted at least four points.
Auburn outrebounded Winthrop 28-18 in the first half and 53-33 for the game. The Tigers also added 11 blocked shots and limited the Eagles (2-2) to 36.1 percent shooting from the field (22-for-61).
A 26-9 run to start the second half gave Auburn an insurmountable 65-35 lead with less than 13 minutes to go in the game.
Forward Kelton Talford recorded a double-double (16 points, 14 rebounds) for Winthrop. Cory Hightower, the team’s second-leading scorer entering the game, was held scoreless on 0-for-5 shooting.
Guards Toneari Lane (team-high 18 points, four rebounds) and Kasen Harrison (11 points) played well for the Eagles in the loss.
Auburn jumped out to a 12-2 lead early in the first half behind 3-pointers from Zep Jasper and Green as well as easy buckets by Broome and Chris Moore.
The Tigers maintained a 20-11 margin with 11:52 to play in the first half when Johnson found Traore under the basket for a layup.
Two Moore free throws pushed the Tigers lead to 31-20 with less than four minutes to play in the opening half. The Tigers closed to a 39-26 halftime lead behind 3s from Green and Johnson and a jumper from Jaylin Williams.
–Field Level Media
