K.D. Johnson, Wendell Green Jr. help Auburn basketball roll Colgate
AUBURN — It didn't take long for Auburn basketball to grab ahold of this one.
Colgate (5-5) kept things close with the Tigers (8-0) for the first eight minutes of Friday night's game in Neville Arena, but Auburn went on an 8-0 run to go up 10 points midway through the first half and never looked back en route to a 93-66 win. The Raiders wouldn't get any closer than 11 points in the second half.
It was the type of game the Tigers needed, especially after grinding out their last two wins over Northwestern and Saint Louis. It came down to the last shot against the Wildcats, and Auburn had to end the game on a 12-2 run to take down the Billikens.
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The Tigers will now get some time off before their next game, as they take on Memphis on Dec. 10 in Atlanta for the Holiday Hoopsgiving event.
Backcourt punch
K.D. Johnson owned the first half, scoring 13 points and hitting a trio of 3-pointers before he missed his first shot. It was his best first-half performance of the season by far and a welcome sight for Auburn in a season where scoring has come at a premium.
Johnson, who suffered a hard fall to end the half and stayed down on the floor for a few minutes before he was helped to his feet, added another 3-pointer in the final 20 minutes. He finished with a team-high 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field.
Wendell Green Jr. added a quick six points to begin the second half on the way to a 13-point performance. He also tacked on four assists and shot an efficient 62.5% from the field.
Allen Flanigan makes most of start
Starting power forward Jaylin Williams was ruled out just minutes before tipoff against the Raiders due to illness, and senior Allen Flanigan got his first start of the season. Flanigan started 20 games last year as he was coming off an Achilles injury, but coach Bruce Pearl has been using him off the bench this season.
Flanigan finished with 12 points, seven of which came in his first shift. He and Johnson were a combined 7-of-7 for 20 points to begin the game.
Lior Berman sees action
For the first time this season, senior guard Lior Berman saw meaningful minutes. With Williams out, Pearl opted to reach deeper into his bench to maintain his large rotation rather than shortening it. The Tigers have played at least 10 players in every game this season, and 11 or more in five of them.
And it wasn't the first time this season Pearl elected to do something like that. When Johni Broome missed a game against Texas Southern on Nov. 18, senior center Babatunde Akingbola played some minutes to supplement his absence.
Berman had previously played five minutes this season, making appearances in games against George Mason and Texas Southern. He hit a 3-pointer from the right corner against the Raiders in his 11 minutes of play.
Richard Silva is the Auburn beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on Twitter @rich_silva18.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: K.D. Johnson, Wendell Green Jr. help Auburn basketball roll Colgate
