Victories over Vandy, Ole Miss extend winning streak to 11
BY NOAH GRIFFITH | FOR THE OBSERVER
AUBURN –– With 11 wins in a row, No. 8 Auburn University men’s basketball (16-2) possesses the best overall record in the SEC, and the Tigers are the only undefeated team in conference play at 5-0.
Auburn has won each game during its win streak by double digits, rising from being unranked to No. 8 in the country during that span. With a win and an Alabama loss to Tennessee on Saturday, Auburn sits alone in first place in the SEC after wins over Vanderbilt and Ole Miss last week.
“We’re deep at every position, and we have each other’s back,” said senior guard Lior Berman. “If one guy is off, we’ve got another guy coming in and we’re going to support each other through that. Having that at each position has allowed us to be effective every night.”
Here are some highlights from the Tigers’ two most recent victories.
Wednesday, Jan. 17:
Auburn 80, Vanderbilt 65
Jaylin Williams put together a perfect night as Auburn defeated Vanderbilt (5-12) to extend its win streak to 10 and move to 4-0 in SEC play.
Leading the team with 21 points, Williams shot 7-for-7 on field goals, including 2-for-2 on 3-pointers, and went 5-for-5 from the free-throw line in addition to grabbing eight rebounds and three assists. Going into Saturday’s game, the fifth-year senior owned a 62.9% shooting percentage from the floor this season and 43.9% on threes – both of which are career highs.
It was all smiles after winning its tenth straight game by double digits, but the Commodores didn’t make it easy early on. Vanderbilt took its only lead of the game eight minutes into the first half. Auburn responded with a 27-8 run to take a 17-point lead to the half.
Vanderbilt outscored Auburn 41-39 in the second half, but it was too little too late as Auburn escaped with the win and career nights from three Auburn big men.
Another veteran big man, Johni Broome, gave a curtain call in Nashville as he finished with his seventh double-double of the season – his 17th in an Auburn jersey – with 15 points and 12 rebounds. After absorbing a hard foul in the final minutes, he went to the bench with a big smile and slight limp after knocking down the latter of his two free throws.
In addition to big nights from Williams and Broome, senior Dylan Cardwell recorded a career-high 12 points. Following Cardwell’s lead, Auburn flexed its muscles inside, outscoring Vanderbilt 36-20 in the paint and shooting 81% on 22 free-throw attempts to secure its fourth consecutive win to start SEC play.
Saturday, Jan. 20:
Auburn 82, Ole Miss 59
Auburn held off Auburn transfer Allen Flanigan and Ole Miss (15-3) to become the sole unbeaten team in SEC play.
Twelve different players scored for the Tigers and 10 recorded an assist as Auburn’s big men stayed in charge. Broome and Williams led the team with 13 points, while Cardwell notched his second consecutive 12-point game – matching his career-high that he set in the prior game.
Ole Miss jumped out to a 4-2 lead, but Auburn led for the remainder of the game. The Tigers led by as much as 31 after a 16-6 run to begin the second half, but a late 8-0 run by Ole Miss shrunk the final point deficit to 23.
In his return, Flanigan put up 10 points and four rebounds despite coming into Neville Arena with 16.5 points and a team-best seven rebounds per game. Despite the underwhelming performance, Flanigan was the sole Ole Miss player to score in double figures.
Auburn’s unrelenting pressure forced Ole Miss to shoot a lowly 36.8% from the floor, and 58 points was a season low for Ole Miss. It has now lost two straight games for the first time this season as it falls to 2-3 in SEC play.
Oppositely, the red-hot Tigers continue to climb the ladder. During its 11-game win streak, 10 wins have come by 15 or more – including seven by 20 or more. Seven of the 11 wins have come against Power 5 opponents.
After a week consisting of two wins by 15 or more, Auburn looked to extend its win streak and climb a step higher when it traveled to Tuscaloosa to face Alabama (12-6) on Wednesday, Jan. 24. Results were unavailable at press time.