Johni Broome scored a season-high 30 points and collected 13 rebounds to power Auburn to a 74-57, wire-to-wire win over visiting Virginia Tech in the ACC/SEC Challenge on Wednesday.
Chad Baker-Mazara contributed 15 points off the bench as Auburn (5-1) won its fifth straight behind a defense that forced 21 turnovers and limited Virginia Tech to 27.5 percent shooting from the floor and 6 of 20 (30 percent) from beyond the arc.
Hunter Cattoor had 16 points and six rebounds to pace Virginia Tech (5-3), which lost its second straight game.
The Tigers swarmed Hokies point guard Sean Pedulla, holding him to four points on 0-for-9 shooting with seven turnovers. Auburn overwhelmed Virginia Tech on points off turnovers, 30-5.
The Hokies were without starting guard MJ Collins, who sustained a knee injury Sunday in Virginia Tech’s loss to Florida Atlantic in the championship game of the ESPN Events Invitational in Florida.
Auburn also had its shooting woes, hitting 38.7 percent from the floor and 2 of 16 (12.5 percent) on 3-point tries. However, the Tigers committed just eight turnovers.
Early in the second half, reserve Tre Donaldson gave Auburn a lift, scoring seven of his nine points in a span of 2:25 as the Tigers took a 45-33 lead.
Broome scored 11 points in the final 11 minutes as Auburn pulled away. Broome’s dominance fueled the Tigers’ 42-14 edge on points in the paint.
A breakaway slam by Baker-Mazara gave the Tigers their biggest lead, 64-43, with 5:42 left.
Auburn played suffocating defense over the first eight minutes, forcing six turnovers and allowing Virginia Tech to shoot just five times.
Broome scored the Tigers’ first two buckets and Baker-Mazara added nine points as Auburn opened on an 18-4 run.
After falling behind by 15, the Hokies responded with a nine-point run capped by a 3-pointer from Jaydon Young that sliced the deficit to 25-19.
When Virginia Tech freshman Brandon Rechsteiner made an improbable running hook shot at the end of the half, Auburn was up 33-24.
–Field Level Media
