Auburn’s championship season ends with NCAA Tournament loss to Yale

SPOKANE, Wash. – All-American Johni Broome recorded his 14th double-double and fourth-seeded Auburn had an opportunity to advance with a 3-pointer on the buzzer however Thirteenth-seeded Yale upset the Tigers 78-76 within the NCAA Event Friday at Spokane Area. 

 “Congratulate Yale on an incredible victory,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl mentioned. “We revered our opponent. We knew we might must play nicely to win. We didn’t take excellent care of the ball. We turned it over an excessive amount of. They made large pictures.”                
          
Trailing by three with 33.6 seconds to play, Johni Broome drew a foul and made each free throws to tug the Tigers inside one at 75-74. 

After Yale made a pair of free throws a second later to go forward 77-74, Auburn missed a 3-point try and two tip-in tries, then fouled the Bulldogs. 

Yale made one among two free throws with 13 seconds remaining, then Ok.D. Johnson raced to the opposite finish, making a layup and drawing a foul to tug Auburn inside two factors with 9.4 to play.

Johnson missed the free throw however when each groups shared possession of the rebound, the arrow pointed to Auburn with 7.1 seconds to play. Tre Donaldson drew a foul with 6.1 seconds remaining however missed each free throws.  

Broome rebounded the second miss, however Yale blocked Jaylin Williams’ shot. Johnson retrieved the unfastened ball however his 3-point try for the win bounced off the rim because the Bulldogs’ celebrated their upset victory.   

Broome led Auburn with 24 factors, 13 rebounds and 4 assists.

“Johni had an incredible yr,” Pearl mentioned. “Carried this workforce, significantly on the offensive finish. We depend on him an incredible deal. He is the most effective facilities in all of school basketball as an All-American.”

Denver Jones scored 17 factors, and Williams added 13 factors and 5 rebounds. 

Yale used a 10-0 run to beat Auburn’s seven-point halftime lead earlier than the Tigers answered with their very own 10-0 run. Jones’ transition 3-pointer put the Tigers on high 53-46, forcing a Yale timeout with 13:23 to play, then Williams’ leap hook gave Auburn a nine-point lead.   

Going through a double-team, Broome discovered Chris Moore open for a nook 3-pointer to offer Auburn a double-digit lead at 60-50 halfway by way of the second half, however Yale outscored the Tigers 28-16 the remainder of the best way. 

Yale capitalized on 9 Auburn second-half turnovers to take a one-point lead on John Poulakidas’ sixth 3-pointer to guide 73-72 with 2:10 to play. Poulakidas led all scorers with 28 factors on 10-of-15 capturing, together with 6-for-9 on 3-pointers. 

“That is the most effective basketball workforce we have crushed in Yale basketball historical past, so far as I am involved,” mentioned Yale coach James Jones.  

Broome’s 3-pointer gave Auburn an early 10-2 lead, however Yale took benefit of the ejection of Chad Baker-Mazara after a flagrant foul 3 minutes into the sport and used a pair of 3-pointers in a five-second span throughout an 8-0 run to briefly lead earlier than the Tigers regained management. 

“To lose him in that scenario was actually disruptive to our workforce on each ends of the ground,” Pearl mentioned. “It had a huge effect on the sport.”

Auburn (27-8) made six-first half steals and turned 9 Yale turnovers into 13 factors. Williams’ steal and slam broke an 18-18 tie. 

Broome’s steal and slam put the Tigers forward 31-25. Broome practically logged a double-double within the first half, totaling 13 factors and 9 rebounds. 

Chaney Johnson ended the first-half scoring by driving for a dunk, drawing a foul and making the free throw to offer Auburn a 41-34 halftime lead.

Advancing to the spherical of 32, Yale (23-9) performs fifth-seeded San Diego State Sunday with the winner advancing to the Candy 16 in Boston. The Aztecs defeated UAB 69-65 in Friday’s first sport. 

“This workforce could be very particular,” Williams mentioned. “We all the time caught collectively it doesn’t matter what. These guys are going to be my finest associates ceaselessly for the remainder of my life.”

Auburn followers comprised a small however vocal contingent among the many 11,051 in attendance, shouting encouragement to the SEC Event champions. 

“Auburn had a historic yr,” Pearl mentioned. “We received scorching late. This workforce has accomplished so many nice issues so I am very happy with them. They made historical past. That is the fourth totally different workforce at Auburn that has received a championship previously seven years. They represented Auburn very well.”

YALE POSTGAME NOTES

» The all-time sequence is now tied 1-1 between Auburn and Yale. Each groups beforehand met throughout the common season with the Tigers prevailing 86-64 on Dec. 4, 2021, at Neville Area.

» Auburn is now 1-1 within the state of Washington after successful at Washington, 84-61, final season in Seattle.

» AU is now 19-13 all-time in NCAA Event video games together with 7-5 below head coach Bruce Pearl. 

» Auburn finishes the season with a 27-8 total file. The Tigers’ 27 wins are the third most in program historical past, three behind the college file of 30 wins in 2018-19 and two off their 29 victories in 1998-99.

» Coach Pearl is 17-13 all-time within the NCAA Event together with 2-2 in two event appearances with Milwaukee, 8-6 in six journeys to the event at Tennessee and his 8-5-mark teaching Auburn within the Massive Dance.  

» Auburn is now 11-1 all-time within the Spherical of 64. The Tigers are 11-2 of their opening-round video games within the event with 11 straight wins previous to Friday’s loss. AU is 9-5 because the higher-seeded workforce.

» The Tigers went 15-of-22 from the free throw line towards Yale. Within the sport, they went over 600 made free throws in a season for the third time in program historical past, ending the season with 609 made free throws – the second most in program historical past. The varsity file is 647 made free throws in 2017-18. Auburn additionally went over 800 free throw makes an attempt for the sixth time in program historical past, ending the season with 812 makes an attempt on the season (fifth most in program historical past).

» Auburn shot 27-of-53 (50.9 p.c) from the sphere towards the Bulldogs. The 27 area targets gave the Tigers 1,010 on the season, simply the third time in program historical past they’ve gone over 1,000 area aim in a season (1,097 made area targets in 2018-19 and 1,016 area targets made in 1984-85). Auburn completed the season capturing at the least 50 p.c in eight of its final 11 video games. Friday’s loss was the Tigers’ first lack of the season in 13 video games once they shot at the least 50 p.c.

» AU made 7-of-20 3-point area targets towards Yale to complete the season with 280 3-pointers on the season, which is the fifth most in program historical past. Six of the Tigers’ high eight three-point season totals have come within the final 9 years. 

» Auburn recorded six steals within the win over Yale to complete the season with 258 steals on the season, which is tied for Tenth-most on the college’s single-season steals listing.

» Johni Broome recorded his sixtieth profession double-double, together with 14 this season and 24 in two seasons at Auburn, with 24 factors and 13 rebounds to go along with 4 assists, two steals and one block towards Yale. It marked his fifth sport this season with at the least 20 factors and 10 rebounds. He’s the primary Auburn participant to place up at the least 20 factors and 10 rebounds in an NCAA Event sport since Jabari Smith had 20 factors and 14 rebounds towards Jacksonville State in 2022. Broome was 7-of-10 from the ground, together with 1-of-2 from lengthy vary, and 9-of-11 from the free-throw line towards the Bulldogs. He ended the season scoring in double figures in 26-straight video games.

» Broome’s 24 factors are the Tenth-most, his 13 rebounds are tied for sixth, his 9 made free throws are tied for fourth and his 11 free throw makes an attempt are tied for fourth-most in an NCAA Event sport in program historical past. He additionally ranks sixth in class historical past with 156 profession blocked pictures. His 79 blocks this season had been the fourth-most on Auburn’s single-season blocked pictures listing.

» Denver Jones completed with 17 factors on 5-of-7 capturing from the ground, together with 3-of-5 from lengthy vary and 4-of-6 from the foul line to go along with one rebound towards Yale. He completed the season by scoring in double figures in 11 of the final 15 video games. Jones closed out the season with 51 three-pointers on 41.8 p.c capturing from lengthy vary.

» Jaylin Williams scored 13 factors on 6-of-9 capturing, together with 1-of-3 from 3-point vary, and added 5 rebounds, one block and one steal in his school-record 141st profession sport. It was his sixty fourth profession sport in double figures and his twenty second of the season.

» Dylan Cardwell blocked his 158th profession shot towards Yale, which ranks fifth most in program historical past.

Jeff Shearer is a Senior Author at AuburnTigers.com. Observe him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer