The Auburn Tigers were able to close out the game, after a slow start, with a 29 point victory against a scrappy Monmouth team. They finish the tough non-conference schedule with an 12-1 record and everything in front of them. Coach Pearl said after the game that this is the “toughest non-conference schedule in the history of Auburn Basketball.” Despite that, this team looked well equipped to handle it. The team has a lot growth left but has show dominance through the majority of the games, thus far.
Though the game was close early, it ended up not being remotely close at the end.
Here are takeaways from the victory.
Chaney Johnson and Denver Jones held it down
After the initial push from Monmouth, Auburn seemed to be sleep walking in this game. Denver Jones was there to the rescue. He had all of his 9 points in the early minutes of the 1st half that kept Auburn close while Monmouth come out shooting well (the last of them tied the game at 22). Denver has been one of the more impactful players for the Tigers this season on both ends of the floor. When he is shooting well, this Auburn team is really hard to beat.
Chaney Johnson took over after that. He went on a personal 10-0 run for the Tigers. He, as Coach Bruce Pearl is often saying, is the hardest worker on the team (which is high praise on a team with Chris Moore and Dylan Cardwell). His hard work on both end of the floor paid off. When he went on his run, Auburn and Monmouth were tied. The half time margin was largely due to the timely baskets by Chaney. He also ended with the highest plus/minus on the team for the game.
Chad Baker-Mazara is a Swiss Army knife
As expected, Chad Baker-Mazara was tasked with trying to keep Monmouth’s dynamic scoring threat, Adbi Bashir Jr. He did a great job of making it tough for Bashir Jr. to get clean looks, and even tough the ball early in the game. For a team that switches a lot, it was clear, the strategy was to put Auburn’s tough-minded Forward on Bashir and that was his only assignment. Bashir, who is averaging 21 PPG, ended the game with 15 points on 4 of 15 shooting.
Baker-Mazara’s dedication of the defensive side of the floor did not deter from his offense. He scored 13 points added another 4 assists. All of his shots from the floor came from beyond the arc (2 of which were 4 point plays). His contributions on the offensive end were crucial to extend the lead for Auburn. Baker-Mazara said that the outcome was because the team got themselves “composed and finally hit our shots.”
The Freshmen were sensational
Tahaad Pettiford has been dynamic all season long and the game against Monmouth was no different. The true-Freshman ended the game with just points and 5 assists but showed great composure throughout the game and the ability to finish in the lane with his off-hand. He has shown toughness on defense, as well, being tasked at points with guarded the Bashir Jr. and looking equal to the task. Some of his most noteworthy plays were the assists to his fellow Freshman team mate, Jahki Howard.
Unlike Pettiford, Jahki Howard has not had as smooth a road to playing time. However, he provided plenty of spark in this game. With two rim-rocking dunks, both coming off of perfectly placed lobs from Tahaad Pettiford, Howard showed the athleticism that Auburn fans have been salivating over since he signed. The freshman sensation ended with 6 points. Coach Pearl talked about Howard in the post-game, noting that he “is going to be a great player and play in the NBA someday.” The athleticism he has displayed surely backs up that statement.
Final notes
- * Denver Jones continued his hot shooting, going 3-3 from three (15 of his last 21 attempts).
- * Johni Broome recorded his 69th career double-double
- * Dylan Cardwell had his 1st career double-double.
- * 22 of Auburn’s 29 Baskets came via an assist while only turning the ball over 7 times.
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