ATLANTA — Johni Broome delivered an impressive performance on Saturday, scoring 21 points and grabbing a remarkable 20 rebounds, leading the No. 2 ranked Auburn team to a dominant 91-53 victory over Ohio State.
The senior forward also contributed six assists, marking his first career game with both 20 points and 20 rebounds. Auburn showcased their strength on the boards, out-rebounding Ohio State 49-28 throughout the matchup.
Devin Royal led the effort for Ohio State, scoring 14 points. Unfortunately for the Buckeyes, their shooting woes continued as they made only 18 of 51 attempts from the field, translating to a 35% shooting percentage, while Auburn managed to connect on 33 of their 72 shots, resulting in a 46% shooting rate.
Auburn quickly established themselves in the game, hitting five of their first seven attempts from beyond the arc within the first 10 minutes. The Tigers ran away with a significant 49-21 lead by halftime, marking the third time this season they have scored 49 or more points in the opening period.
Observations from the game revealed that Auburn’s defense was impressive, allowing just 21 points in the first half. This marks the second occasion this season where they held an opponent to the same scoring total, previously restricting Vermont to 21 points on November 6. Ohio State has now dropped three of their last four contests and recorded their lowest scoring output of the season.
A pivotal moment in the game occurred when Auburn jumped ahead to a 25-8 advantage within the first 10 minutes. Although they faced a scoring drought that allowed Ohio State to chip the lead down to 24-14, the Tigers quickly regrouped, executing a 9-0 run over a span of just over a minute to take a commanding 34-14 lead. They capped off the first half with another strong finish, scoring 13 of the last 16 points.
A notable statistic from the game is that Johni Broome became the first Auburn player to achieve a 20-point, 20-rebound game since Kelvin Ardister accomplished the feat back in 1989.
Looking ahead, Auburn is set to return to Neville Arena for a showdown against Georgia State on Tuesday, while Ohio State will welcome Valparaiso to their home court on the same day.
