It started on Auburn’s first possession, the Tigers bringing the ball down the floor and forward Chris Moore feeding it right to center Johni Broome. A simple layup and a quick Auburn lead. But that wasn’t enough, Auburn knew it had an edge. So it brought the ball into the paint again and again.

The Tigers opened an eventual 101-66 win over Chattanooga on Saturday at Neville Arena with a 12-0 run. All but two of those were scored on layups or dunks. The only two remaining points were Moore’s free throws.

Seven of Auburn’s first made field goals game in the paint. The ability to use its size and strength near the basket catapulted another dominant Auburn win in non-conference play.

Auburn had 52 points in the paint against Chattanooga’s 20. Forward Jaylin Williams scored 21 points on a perfect 9-9 from the field. Broome added 18. Chad Baker-Mazara knocked in 13 more.

The 52 points in the paint and 56% field goal percentage are both season highs this year for Auburn.

The Tigers scored on 45 of their 67 possessions. Of those 45 scores, 24 were layups or dunks.

And Auburn’s interior success continued on the defensive end. Chattanooga leans on 3-point shooting but was forced to be essentially one-dimensional by Auburn’s defense.

As a team, Auburn had eight blocks. Auburn had 23 more rebounds than Chattanooga.

Dominance in every category regarding interior play.

Based on KenPom stats, Auburn had a size advantage on paper. On average, Auburn’s players are an inch taller than Chattanooga’s. Auburn’s average height of 77.7 inches is 99th tallest nationally whereas Chattanooga is 256th in the category.

It was another dominant first half for Auburn, allowing the team to cruise in the second half yet again. Yet as non-conference play nears its conclusion, Auburn players have said they’re focused on improving their second-half defense.

On this night, Auburn played among its best second-half defense this season and it originated with interior play. It wasn’t perfect, but it was better. Chattanooga shot 31% from the field in the second half and had only 14 points in the paint.

Auburn improved to 10-2 overall this season and 6-0 at home. It’s a fifth straight win overall for the Tigers — four of those against teams that have made the NCAA Tournament within the last two seasons.

In that streak, Auburn is winning its games by an average of 24.8 points. The five wins following Auburn’s loss in a true road game against Appalachian State have displayed Auburn’s depth in a true 10-man rotation, its ability to shoot 3-pointers and a propensity to win in different manners.

That manner can be relying on its forwards like it did against Chattanooga when Auburn jutted out to a huge lead which continued to grow throughout the game.

Of course, Auburn still has no problem making 3-pointers. The Tigers made 11 of them.

Auburn has one more non-conference game — against Penn on Tuesday at Neville Arena — before begins SEC play on the road against Arkansas on Jan. 6.

With the way it has played since the Appalachian State loss, Auburn looks ready to go.

Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at [email protected]