BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — It turns out all the stats and analytics telling us how good Auburn’s offense was were accurate.
Purdue Basketball can attest to this after a 40-minute first-hand account.
The Boilermakers ran into another SEC buzzsaw on neutral ground for the second straight Saturday.
This time, however, Purdue had no counterattack against a faster, more athletic Tigers team and its national player of the year candidate, Johni Broome, who led No. 2 Auburn to an 87- 69 at Legacy Arena.
Purdue is now 1-3 in December, the only home win against Maryland, since winning the Rady Children’s Invitational in San Diego.
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A turning point in Purdue basketball
Fletcher Loyer’s three-point play with 12:36 left in the first half tied the score at 15.
The Boilermakers scored just 11 points the rest of the half, three of them on CJ Cox’s buzzer-beating 3 that set up Purdue’s first points by someone not named Loyer, Trey Kaufman-Renn or Braden Smith.
At halftime, Purdue trailed by 15 points. No one in the country has the firepower to beat Auburn by 15 in 20 minutes.
Purdue’s lack of depth
Matt Painter was asked after Texas A&M’s loss if depth was an issue.
Painter wouldn’t admit it, but it’s obvious.
Purdue faced nine players in the first eight minutes Saturday, but playing and producing are two different things. Outside of Loyer, Kaufman-Renn and Smith, the Boilermakers have lacked consistent production from everyone on the roster.
3 stars
Johni Broome, Auburn: There were questions about whether Broome would even attempt to play after being injured against Georgia State in Auburn’s last game. Not only did Broome play, but he dominated, finishing with 23 points and 11 rebounds.
Chad Baker-Mazara, Auburn: The senior from the Dominican Republic provided a little bit of everything for the Tigers. His last stat line? Eight points, six assists, four steals and two blocks.
Denver Jones, Auburn: Jones hit two early 3s that ignited the mostly pro-Auburn crowd of more than 15,000. They don’t seem important in the grand scheme of how the game played out, but during the second media timeout, they played a crucial role in Auburn’s 17-15 lead. Jones finished with 15 points.
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on X and Instagram @samueltking.
This article was originally published in the Lafayette Journal & Courier: Auburn dominant in win over Purdue basketball
