Chaney Johnson totaled 15 points, four rebounds and two steals as the Auburn Tigers walloped the Alabama A&M Bulldogs 84-54 on Tuesday night in Auburn, Ala.
The Tigers (4-1) sprinted out to an early 12-0 lead and overwhelmed the Bulldogs (0-3) in the first half. Auburn led by 34 points at the break.
Johnson, a 6-foot-7 guard, made all but two of his eight shot attempts and 3 of 4 free throws as he scored in double figures for the first time this season.
Aden Holloway tallied 13 points. Jaylin Williams had 10 points, six rebounds and three steals, while Johni Broome – the MVP of the Legends Classic tournament in Brooklyn over the weekend – produced 10 points, five rebounds and two helpers.
Auburn shot 47.3 percent (26 of 55) and owned the boards with a 48-27 advantage. The Tigers also recorded 19 assists, with 11 players scoring.
The SEC school improved to 4-0 all-time against its in-state opponent from the Southwest Athletic Conference.
Alabama A&M’s Chad Moodie topped his squad with nine points and seven rebounds. Eric Lee scored eight points for the Bulldogs, who shot 33 percent (19 for 57).
In a fast start, the Tigers scored a dozen points inside the first five minutes before Dailin Smith rolled in a short shot in the lane at 15:34 for the Bulldogs’ first tally.
The Bulldogs reached their high point of the half at 16-8 on a free throw by Moodie, but K.D. Johnson’s trey and dunk, followed by a slam on the next possession by Dylan Cardwell (nine rebounds), moved the advantage to 23-8 at 9:44.
The matchup completely got away from the Bulldogs late in the half, which included a 21-1 run by the Tigers to the buzzer.
Chaney Johnson punctuated the dominant half with a steal and a breakaway windmill dunk as Auburn ended the first 20 minutes with a 49-15 lead.
The Tigers shot 52.9 percent (18 of 34), while the Bulldogs clicked at just 23.1 percent (6 of 26). Auburn held a 28-10 margin in paint points.
–Field Level Media