Auburn basketball bounced back against Richmond 98-54 in long-awaited return to Neville Arena.
The Auburn Tigers returned to Neville Arena after being away for nearly three weeks. They welcomed the Richmond Spiders to the Plains for an early contest to bounce back after the first loss of the season to Duke.
The Tigers took care of business quickly after jumping to a 25-point lead at the half. They never looked back, and six Tigers found themselves in double figures.
“That had a chance to be a trap game coming off Maui and then Duke,” Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl said. “I’m very impressed with my guys for being excited about playing. Our guys respected them, they honored the game and played hard. We turned them over early and that set the tone for us. The crowd was great, and our kids entertained them pretty good.”
Takeaway #1: Return of Jahki Howard
After an incident earlier in the season sent Jahki Howard to the bench, it was unclear when he would return, with the Maui Invitational and Duke game on the horizon.
Howard finally received his first meaningful minutes today, scoring 13 points in 20 minutes of action off the bench and throwing down some highlight-reel dunks.
“There’s an example of a guy who can help us get better,” Pearl said of Howard. “I was pleased with having him on the floor and some of the things he did.”
Howard’s return provides the Tigers with another rotational piece for Pearl and his staff, who are known for their depth. Howard can be a big piece moving forward for the Tigers, but he still has a lot to prove.
Takeaway #2: Unselfish basketball
The Tigers finished the contest with 23 assists and had nine players record an assist against the Spiders. Led by Johni Broome, who had six assists, he often found perimeter shooters when facing double teams in the paint.
“It’s super beneficial,” Miles Kelly said of Broome’s passing. “We work on knocking down shots in practice. Having an All-American big, he’s going to command a lot of attention. As guards, we have to knock down shots.”
Broome’s passing ability has grown stronger each year. The team has displayed the ability to make the extra pass and find the right shot, which will be important in these coming games as the Tigers look to close out the non-conference schedule strong.
Takeaway #3: Defense
After Pearl called out the team for their lack of defensive effort against Duke, especially in the transition, they responded strongly against Richmond.
In the first half, the Spiders shot 7% on 3-point attempts and 25% from the field, and this trend continued for Richmond, who finished the game shooting 27% from the field and 20% on 3-point attempts.
The Tigers’ 10 steals and 5 blocks helped contribute to the Spider’s 15 turnovers and zero minutes with a lead held.
While the opponent might be inferior to that of the Blue Devils, Pearl challenged the team to play better defensively, and Auburn responded and will get a chance to be tested again against Ohio State.
Next up for Auburn (8-1): vs. Ohio State (6-3) – Dec. 14 at Noon EST
Next up for Richmond (4-5): vs. Belmont (8-2) – Dec. 14 at 6 p.m. EST