NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Auburn Men’s Basketball hit the road today for a midweek clash in the Music City against the Vanderbilt Commodores. Despite a back-and-forth battle for much of the middle of the game, the Tigers managed to secure an 80-68 bounce-back win.
Right from tip-off, it was clear to see that the Tigers had come to play. Auburn quickly jumped out to a 15-0 lead with buckets from Chris Moore, Johni Broome, Denver Jones, Miles Kelly, and Tahaad Pettiford. From there, though, Denver Jones took over Memorial Gymnasium.
Coming off a scoreless performance vs Florida, the senior guard bounced back in a big way. Jones racked up 14 first-half points, 12 of which came from beyond the three-point line. As the rest of the Auburn offense faltered and the Auburn defense began to crack, he remained a consistent force, helping the Tigers maintain a slim 34-32 halftime lead.
As the second half began, it was clear the Commodores still believed the game was theirs for the taking, eventually taking their first lead, 43-42, off of a Jason Edwards three-point shot with 17:35 left to play. Jones continued to keep the Auburn attack afloat with 7 second-half points, but he would get some major help from Chaney Johnson.
Johnson, despite only having four first-half points, came out of the break with a vengeance. The former D2 transfer racked up 16 second-half points, including a 9-0 solo run that proved to be the key demoralizing blow to Vanderbilt’s hopes, letting Auburn pull away to an 80-68 victory. Johnson finished the game 9-10 from the floor, his only miss coming from beyond the arc.
Auburn Head Coach Bruce Pearl said before the start of last season that Johnson could develop into one of the better players in the SEC, and it appears that Chaney is on his way to doing just that.
“Chaney is our hardest worker,” Coach Pearl said. “You watch film of last year Chaney, and you see some movements, but you don’t recognize him, because he’s twice the man he was. He is one of the best athletes in the league. He’s powerful, he’s quick, he’s explosive and he’s got a really good touch.”
Jones and Johnson ended the game as Auburn’s leading scorers with 21 and 20 points, respectively. Close behind them was Johni Broome with 17, 15 of which came in the second half. Broome also led the Tigers in rebounds with five, while Chad Baker-Mazara led the team in assists with two.
The performance was one that Auburn needed after a disappointing loss to Florida last Saturday, and now the Tigers set their sights on an enormous rivalry game in Tuscaloosa on Saturday as top-ranked Auburn faces No. 2 Alabama in The Iron Bowl of Basketball in what shapes up to be an all-time classic in the series.
