In their first game since losing star Johni Broome, the Auburn Tigers did not miss a beat, as they routed No. 15 Mississippi State, 88-66.
Auburn shot 55% from the field and 41.7% from three in the win and looked nearly flawless in doing so.
Four of the five Auburn starters were in double figures, Dylan Cardwell being the only one not in double figures, finishing just shy with nine points.
Chad Baker-Mazara was the clubhouse leader with 20 points. Baker-Mazara stepped up in the absence of Broome and turned into the leader that Auburn needed.
Chaney Johnson finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and four blocks. Johnson’s defense kept Mississippi State shooters out of the paint for a majority of the game.
For Mississippi State, it was the second straight loss for the Bulldogs, and they’ve now fallen to 2-2 in conference play.
Despite a bad shooting night for Mississippi State (34.9% FG), Josh Hubbard managed to score 17 points, 11 of which coming at the free throw line.
Mississippi State struggled shooting as a team, going just 3-for-24 from three-point range, and Hubbard making two of those threes. Claudell Harris Jr. made the only other three-pointer for the Bulldogs, part of his 11 points in the game.
The Bulldogs will need to find someone to step up and make sure the locker room doesn’t fall apart during the tough two-game stretch.
For Auburn, the veteran leadership of Baker-Mazara and Johnson will carry them through the season until Broome is able to return to the lineup.
