No. 4 Auburn Trips Tar Heels, 85-72

Tuesday, November 26

Lahaina, Hawaii

11 PM ET

North Carolina

4-2,0-0ACC

Auburn

6-0,0-0SEC

Auburn

North Carolina

Seth Trimble

Photo by: Maggie Hobson

November 27, 2024 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (.pdf)Lucas: Rapid Reactions Media Central Photo Gallery

By: Matt Bowers

LAHAINA, HAWAI'I— Fourth-ranked Auburn built a 15-point lead in the opening six minutes and withstood multiple rallies by 12th-ranked North Carolina before holding off the Tar Heels, 85-72, in a semifinal of the 2024 Maui Invitational on Tuesday night at the Lahaina Civic Center.

Johni Broome led six double-digit Tiger scorers with 23 points and 19 rebounds as Auburn led from start to finish. Miles Kelly scored 15 points with three three-pointers.

For the Tar Heels, Seth Trimble starred once again, scoring in double figures for the sixth consecutive game and finishing with 17 points on 7 of 13 shooting. RJ Davis added 12 points and five rebounds for UNC, and Elliot Cadeau (10 points, six rebounds), Jae'Lyn Withers (10 points, seven rebounds) and Ven-Allen Lubin (10 points and a team-high nine boards) each also reached double figures.

Carolina trailed, 21-6, in the opening six minutes but clawed back to within a basket at one point late in the first half. Broome had a double-double before halftime with 18 points and 10 rebounds as the Tigers led, 40-32, at intermission.

Auburn mounted a 12-2 run after halftime to increase its lead and start to pull away. With the win, the Tigers improve to 6-0 this season, while the Tar Heels drop to 4-2.

Carolina will meet Michigan State in the Maui Invitational third-place game on Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. ET. Auburn will meet Memphis for the Maui title on Wednesday at 5 p.m. ET.

Notes
• The 13-point loss was UNC's largest margin of defeat since losing to Virginia Tech by 13, 72-59, in the 2022 ACC Tournament.
• Auburn turned 10 Tar Heel turnovers into 15 points.
• The Tigers hit 11 three-pointers while Carolina connected on six.
• Auburn out-rebounded UNC, 42-36, including 11-7 on the offensive glass.
• The Tar Heels had a season-low seven assists on 27 made baskets in the game.
• UNC posted a season-low free throw percentage of 63.2% and free throws of 12. It was only the second time Carolina has hit fewer than 25 free throws this season.
• Lubin led Carolina in rebounds for the first time. He is the fifth Tar Heel in six games to lead the team in rebounds. Last season, four different Tar Heels led the team in rebounds in a game.

How It Happened
First Half
• Auburn led from start to finish in the first half, roaring out of the locker room and leading by as many as 15 points at 21-6.
• UNC then mounted a 15-2 run to cut its deficit to two at 23-21, only to see the Tigers reply with a 7-0 run to go back up by nine at 30-21.
• Broome hit 8 of 13 shots, grabbed 10 rebounds and had two assists in a dominant first half for Auburn, which led, 40-32, at the break.

Second Half
• The Tigers started hot in the second half, ripping off a 12-2 run to take their biggest lead at 52-34 and forcing a UNC timeout.
• Auburn eventually led by as many as 19 at 71-52 with 8:05 remaining.
• A night after overcoming a 21-point, second-half deficit to beat Dayton, Carolina tried to claw back into the game but could get no closer than within nine points in the second half.