Comeback Gives Auburn Tigers Another Top-5 Win over Iowa State

The No. 4 Auburn Tigers (5-0) earned an 83-81 victory over No. 5 Iowa State (3-1), its second win over a top-five opponent this season.

Despite a rough first half in which Auburn trailed the Iowa State Cyclones by as much as 18 points, they dug deep and found a way to get the job done in their first contest of the Maui Invitational.

“Our kids didn’t quit,” head coach Bruce Pearl said after the win. “Iowa State played great in the first half. You could tell both teams were very well prepared. I think they got a little tired. We started guarding them. We came here to make history.

“This team now owns two top-five wins. Not since 1990 when Kansas started the season 5-0 with two top-five wins has it happened, so we made some history.”

Iowa State led 49-33 at the end of the first half. At one point, they had as much as a 93.2% chance to win the game. However, Auburn would turn the tables quickly at the resumption of the game.

The Tigers went on a 20-7 run early in the second half which got them back into the game. A 3-pointer from Johni Broome with 4:33 left in the game to tie the score at 73. Two free throws made by Denver Jones made the score 73-75, Auburn’s first lead of the game.

Chad Baker-Mazara nearly cost the Tigers by committing a flagrant foul that allowed Iowa State to tie the game. He made a shot from mid-range to put Auburn back up on its next possession to make up for it.

The comeback was capped off by a tip-in in the final seconds by Johni Broome.

“I trusted Denver to get downhill,” Pearl said. “Somehow the ball circled out and Johni Broome, after he set a screen, they put two on the ball and let Johni get to the backside and make a play.”

JOHNI BROOME WITH THE LATE WINNER FOR AUBURN 😱

(via @AuburnMBB)pic.twitter.com/mXbL3xCVbH
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) November 26, 2024

Auburn shot 47.5% from the field, 33.3% from 3-point range and 81.1% from the free-throw line. The Tigers were led in scoring by Broome with 21 points and in rebounds with 10 - securing himself his third double-double on the season. Dylan Cardwell led the team in assists with three.

Iowa State shot 47.2% from the field, 38.9% from 3-point range and 82.8% from the free-throw line. The Cyclones were led in scoring by Keshon Gilbert with 23 points, Josh Jefferson in rebounds with eight and assists by Curtis Jones with three.

Auburn will take on the winner of the contest between No. 12 North Carolina and Dayton on Tuesday. Tip-off is set for 10 p.m. CT and ESPN will carry the television broadcast.

POSTGAME NOTES

• Auburn went with the starting five of Denver Jones, Miles Kelly, Chad Baker-Mazara, Johni Broome and Dylan Cardwell for the third-straight game (3-0).

• The Tigers placed five players in double figures for the third time this season including the last two games.

• With the win, Auburn now leads 3-2 in the all-time series with Iowa State. The Tigers have won both matchups in the series under head coach Bruce Pearl after defeating the Cyclones, 80-76, as part of the 2020 Big 12/SEC Challenge at Neville Arena.

• The game was the first matchup of Associated Press Top 5-ranked teams in the quarterfinals in the 41-year history of the Maui Invitational.

• Auburn is off to a 5-0 start for the third time in the last six seasons after starting 8-0 during the 2022-23 season and 15-0 in 2019-20.

• The win over No. 5-ranked Iowa State gives this year’s team the first two wins over Top 5 non-conference opponents in program history after the Tigers defeated No. 4 Houston, 74-69, on Nov. 9 as part of the Mattress Firm Battleground 2k24 tournament in Houston, Texas.

• Auburn is the fourth team in AP Poll history (since 1948-49) to start a season 5-0 with multiple Top 5 wins and the first to do so since Kansas in 1989-90, according to ESPN Stats Info.

• Auburn is now 3-1 all-time in two appearances in the Maui Invitational. The Tigers went 2-1 in the event in 2018.

• The win is Coach Pearl’s 205th victory in his 11 seasons at Auburn, putting him eight wins behind Joel Eaves, who won 213 games 14 seasons as the Tigers’ head coach, for the most career coaching wins in program history.

• Auburn scored 50 points in the second half on 54.5 percent shooting including 5-of-13 from long range and 9-of-12 from the foul line. The Tigers have scored at least 50 points in the last three halves after scoring 50 points and 52 points in the first and second halves against North Alabama respectively.

• Auburn was led by Johni Broome, who recorded his 63rd career double-double and third straight with 21 points and a game-high 10 rebounds including 11 points and seven rebounds in the second half against Iowa State. It was Broome’s 31st consecutive game in double figures. He also blocked two shots in the game, giving him 171 career blocked shots, which passes Horace Spencer for fourth in program history. It was also Broome’s second-straight game with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds after going for 30 points and 17 rebounds against North Alabama.

• Chad Baker-Mazara scored in double figures for the third-straight game and the fourth time this season with 18 points on 5-of-8 field goals, 3-of-4 three-pointers and 5-of-5 from the foul line (all three 3-pointers and all five free throws in the second half) to go with three rebounds, two steals and one assist in the win. Baker-Mazara led Auburn with 16 points on 4-of-7 shooting including 3-of-4 from long range in the second half.

• Freshman Tahaad Pettiford scored 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the floor, including a pair of 3-point field goals, and added two rebounds, one assist and one steal versus the Cyclones. Pettiford is averaging 17.5 points on 55.6 percent shooting from the field and 53.8 from long range in two games against Top 5 opponents (Houston and Iowa State).

• Playing in his 100th career collegiate game, Miles Kelly scored 12 points including a pair of 3-pointers. He finished with two rebounds, two assists and one block versus Iowa State. It was Kelly’s third game in double figures this season including back-to-back contests. He went over 1,100 career points in the game, finishing the night with 1,110 career points to date.

• Denver Jones scored in double figures for the fourth time this season and the third-straight game with 12 points including 10 points in the second half of play. He went 6-of-6 from the foul line and added three rebounds and two assists.

• The game marked the 100th career collegiate game for JP Pegues.