On a night where the AU Jungle brought out their ugly Christmas sweaters, the on-court play could be described as anything but that. With an all-around performance that was by far the best of the season, the Auburn Tigers remained unbeaten, defeating Colgate 93-66.
December is finally upon us and in a season where it’s usually snow falling, Auburn replaced it with 3s. KD Johnson led the way, scoring 13 of his season-high 16 in the first half on 5-9 shooting and 4-5 from behind the arc. Wendell Green Jr added a pair of 3s and 13 points, and Flanigan added two 3s on 12 points. In total, the Tigers totaled their season-high 10 three-pointers on almost 46% in that area.
“It was a great feeling getting back on track," Auburn’s junior guard stated regarding his rhythm behind the line.
When asked about the spread of points, both KD Johnson and Allen Flanigan mentioned the importance of finding guys in their spots and the threat for the team as a whole when numerous guys hit double digits.
“It’s very important, I feel like we’re hard to stop," Johnson said. "To see how quick the score can change is a real positive for us."
Auburn had four in double figures and four more with at least eight points.
On the defensive side, Auburn also dominated. Forcing 12 turnovers and holding a Colgate team to 11 assists (Colgate averages 18 per game), head coach Bruce Pearl praised Auburn’s physicality.
“I think we wore them out”, Pearl said, “(the minutes played) took a toll on them."
“That’s an NCAA tournament team, that’s a win against the field," Pearl said.
At one point Auburn stretched the lead to 22 thanks to a 13-3 run over six minutes. Allen Flanigan loved what he saw from the team.
“That’s Auburn basketball, that’s the bread and butter of our team," Flanigan said.
Auburn has shown over the past couple years their defensive tenacity, and so far this season it has continued. The biggest question has been the offensive side of the ball. But with tonight’s shooting performance, let’s hope the momentum can carry over to Atlanta where the Tigers will take on Memphis (5-2) in State Farm Arena.
