Johni Broome taps in for the game-winner to lift No. 4 Auburn past No. 5 Iowa State in the Maui Invitational

Johni Broome saved the Tigers on Monday night in Maui.

After leading No. 4 Auburn out of an early 18-point hole, Broome scored on a tip-in bucket with 1.2 seconds left to give the Tigers an 83-81 first-round victory over No. 5 Iowa State the Maui Invitational. It was the second wild game of the day at the legendary Feast Week tournament at the Lahaina Civic Center after Memphis cruised to a victory over No. 2 UConn to open the event.

Broome’s final tip-in gave him a double-double on the night. He finished the win with 21 points and 10 rebounds, leading the Tigers to 5-0 on the season. They have now beaten two top-five programs in the same season for the first time in school history, following their upset victory over then-No. 4 Houston.

Iowa State had the ball with about 20 seconds left and the game was tied, but Keshon Gilbert lost it while trying to drive through the lane. That set up the Tigers for one last attempt to win the game at the buzzer. Auburn held the final shot and Broome fought his way to the basket to perfectly parry a missed layup by Denver Jones just before time expired

That sealed the two-point victory and sparked a huge celebration in Maui.

The Cyclones looked like they were poised for a dominant win Monday night after jumping out to a huge 18-point lead in the first half. But Auburn came flying out of the locker room almost immediately after halftime to get back into the fight. They took advantage of a 15-2 run early in the second half and almost immediately made it a one-possession game, which they held until Broome’s tip-in at the end. Auburn outscored Iowa State 50-32 in the final 20 minutes, and Miles Kelly sank a layup with 38 seconds left to tie the game one last time before the final shot.

Gilbert led the Cyclones with 23 points after shooting 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 the game with 13 points.

Broome entered Monday averaging 20 points and 11.3 rebounds per game this season, both career highs for the senior. He helped lead the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament the last three seasons under coach Bruce Pearl, but they fell short in the first weekend.

Chad Baker-Mazara added 18 points after Broome’s double-double for the Tigers and Tahaad Pettiford finished the game off the bench with 14 points. Auburn will now face either No. 12 North Carolina or Dayton in Tuesday’s semifinals.