Bruce Pearl breaks down Johni Broome's play against West Virginia

Auburn fell to West Virginia 80-77 on Saturday, but the game was pretty wildly different from one half to the next. Center Johni Broome‘s play had a lot to do with that.

Broome, the 6-foot-10 Auburn center, didn’t play much in the first half due to foul trouble. He made a significant difference once things opened up more and he was able to man his post in the second half.

“Well, he did a great job inside,” coach Bruce Pearl said. “He’s five assists, one turnover. He’s really good in there, we’ve just got to keep getting him touches. He doesn’t get to the foul line as much as he should, but him being in foul trouble in the first half was an issue. But he’s done really well.”

Broome finished the contest against West Virginia with 15 points, seven rebounds, five assists and a block, all while turning it over just once.

But he played only 27 minutes. If Auburn had had Johni Broome’s play for a few more minutes it might have made the difference.

Still, Pearl came away praising his big man.

“He’s been one of our most consistent players,” Pearl said. “So glad to see him pass the ball as well as he does. He’s got a really good feel, real good understanding. Johni’s a really good basketball player.”

Auburn nearly completes second-half comeback

Auburn nearly staged a comeback for the ages in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge against West Virginia, but the comeback bid ran out of gas inside the final minute and a last-second heave from Wendell Green Jr. couldn’t find the net to force overtime. Still, Auburn’s improved offense in the second half was noticeable.

It was a tale of two halves for Auburn.

West Virginia raced out to a 45-29 lead at halftime, stumping Auburn’s ball screen offense in the process. The Tigers figured some things out in the second half but it was too little, too late to overcome such a steep deficit.

“Probably did a better job of getting the ball inside,” coach Bruce Pearl said. “Johni (Broome) was in foul trouble in the first half, so we didn’t have him. He didn’t play a lot of minutes. Played almost the entire second half and we were able to get him and Jaylin (Williams) touches on the inside.”

The end result was a much more competitive game. Auburn nearly clawed all the way back, outscoring West Virginia by 13 points after the halftime break.