Johni Broome tips-in game-winner to lift No. 4 Auburn past No. 5 Iowa State at Maui Invitational

Johni Broome saved the Tigers on Monday night in Maui.

Broome, after leading No. 4 Auburn back from an 18-point hole, came up with a last-second tip-in bucket to lift the Tigers to an 83-81 win over No. 5 Iowa State in the first round of the Maui Invitational at the Lahaina Civic Center.

That brought Broome to a double-double on the night. He finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds. It’s also the first time in Auburn history that the program has two wins over a top-5 opponent.

Iowa State had the ball with 20 seconds left and the game tied on Monday night, but Keshon Gilbert lost it while trying to drive through the lane. That set up one last attempt for the Tigers to win it at the buzzer. Auburn held for the last shot, and Broome fought through to perfectly put back a missed layup from Denver Jones with just a second left.

The Cyclones jumped up by 18 points in the first half, and seemed like they were poised to run away with the game after the first 20 minutes. But Auburn came flying out of the locker room. The Tigers rattled off a 15-2 run to start the second half, which cut the Cyclones’ lead to just three points instantly.

Auburn out-scored Iowa State 50-32 in the final 20 minutes, and Miles Kelly sank a layup with 38 seconds left to tie the game up one last time before the final shot.

Chad Baker-Mazara added 18 points after Broome’s double-double, and Tahaad Pettiford finished with 14 points off the bench. The Tigers are now a perfect 5-0 on the year, and they’ll take on either North Carolina or Dayton in the semifinals on Tuesday.

Gilbert led the Cyclones with 23 points after he shot 8-of-10 from the field in the loss, which was their first of the season. Curtis Jones added 14 points off the bench, and Dishon Jackson finished with 13 points.

This post will be updated with more information shortly.