AUBURN, Ala. — Chaney Johnson had an outstanding performance, scoring a personal best of 26 points, in addition to securing eight rebounds and delivering four assists, as the second-ranked Auburn team triumphed over Georgia State with a decisive score of 100-59 on Tuesday evening. Their victory came despite the early exit of center Johni Broome, who sustained a shoulder injury shortly into the game.
Broome, who was contributing significantly to the team with an average of 19.7 points and a leading Division I average of 12.7 rebounds per game, left the court just 2 minutes and 17 seconds into the matchup. Auburn’s head coach, Bruce Pearl, revealed that Broome’s right shoulder “kind of slipped out and came back,” adding that they planned to have him evaluated the following day.
Chad Baker-Mazara also played a vital role in the win, scoring 19 points, while Denver Jones contributed 17 points for Auburn, who now has a record of 10-1. On the other hand, Nick McMullen stood out for Georgia State, leading his team with 15 points and pulling down 16 rebounds, leaving the Panthers with a record of 4-7.
In terms of insights from the game, Georgia State managed to hit several challenging jump shots against Auburn’s robust defense and hopes these moments will signal positive outcomes as they prepare for their conference play. Conversely, it was evident that Auburn felt the effects of missing Broome on both offense and defense during the match. Fortunately for the Tigers, their schedule allows them to have only two games over the next 17 days, providing a chance for recovery from injuries.
A key moment in the game occurred when Auburn surged ahead with an 11-0 run at the start of the second half, rendering the contest out of reach for Georgia State, who struggled with four turnovers in that critical span. Highlighting another significant aspect of the game, Auburn successfully converted 20 turnovers by Georgia State into 30 points.
Looking ahead, Auburn is set to face No. 16 Purdue on Saturday in Birmingham, Alabama, while Georgia State will kick off their Sun Belt schedule against Troy the same day.