Kelly, Jones lead No. 11 Auburn to blowout win over Vermont

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Miles Kelly scored 21 points, Denver Jones added 16 and No. 11 Auburn cruised to a 94-43 season-opening home victory over Vermont on Wednesday night.

Chaney Johnson had 13 points and nine rebounds for the Tigers, who have now won 55 consecutive non-conference home games. Auburn led Vermont by 25 at halftime and opened the second half on a 35-4 run. Kelly, a Georgia Tech transfer, hit seven 3-pointers — more than any Auburn player had in a single game last season.

Seth Joba led Vermont (1-1) with eight points, while Illeri Ayo-Faleye added seven. The Catamounts’ 43 points tied for the fewest they have scored in a game under 14th-year head coach John Becker.

Takeaways

Vermont: This was a tough and quick turnaround for the Catamounts, who won a hard-fought matchup over UAB to open their season Monday night. Vermont prides itself on a methodical, efficient offense, but Auburn’s length and athleticism bothered that half-court attack throughout the night.

Auburn: Bruce Pearl’s Tigers led Division I in defensive effective field goal percentage last season, and they looked like they might be dominant on that end of the floor again this season. Auburn also got off to a strong start shooting, with five players combining for 16 made 3-pointers.

Key moment

Although the game was well in hand by then, Kelly sent the Neville Arena fans into a frenzy by going a perfect 5-of-5 on 3-pointers in less than four minutes of game time.

Key stat

Vermont was one of the nation’s top teams at avoiding turnovers last season and only had five in its opener Monday night at UAB. Auburn forced 16 on Wednesday night and turned them into 25 points.

Up next

On Saturday, Vermont will continue its season-opening road trip with a visit to Merrimack, while Auburn will travel to face No. 4 Houston at the Toyota Center.

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