Led by the dynamic duo of Johni Broome and Tahaad Pettiford, the No. 11 Auburn Tigers won a thriller over the fourth-ranked Houston Cougars on Saturday night in the Toyota Center, 74-69, to improve to 2-0 on the season.
Here are the biggest takeaways from the game:
Broome and Pettiford steal the show
The aforementioned duo put on a show in the second half on Saturday night, sparking the Tigers' run after a 16-5 run to end the first half from Houston.
Houston picked up where it left off coming out of the locker room and held the Tigers scoreless for three and ½ minutes of play while starting off 4-of-4 from the field and seeing its lead grow to nine. But Auburn went to “ole reliable” for an answer.
Broome sparked the Tigers’ offense and led a quick 6-0 run to cut the Cougars lead to three. Then, a young star was born. The former 5-star recruit in Pettiford caught fire in the second half and displayed his elite athleticism while weaving through Houston defenders and draining shots from beyond the arc.
Pettiford and Broome scored 21 and 20 points, respectively, and were the only Tigers to reach double digits. Broome was one rebound shy of a double-double, and Pettiford added three assists with a 13 +/- ratio while on the floor.
Auburn overcomes Houston’s inside presence
To say it was a physical game on Saturday night would be an understatement. Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl mentioned earlier in the week that Houston’s physicality could be a problem, and while the Tigers may have had the height advantage, Houston was the “stronger’ team inside.
The Tigers were able to muster up 36 points in the paint and were dead even in the rebounding category with one of the best rebounding teams in the nation. Houston was able to make a plethora of contested shots on the inside, but Auburn’s seven made shots from three-point land proved to be pivotal down the stretch.
Free throws still a problem for the Tigers
While Auburn iced the game with a pair of clutch trips to the line from Denver Jones and Chad Baker-Mazara, free throws continued to haunt the Tigers throughout the game.
Despite his 20-point performance, Broome was 0-of-4 from the charity stripe, continuing his struggles throughout his career in orange and blue.
Pearl will surely want to see that number increase as Auburn continues its toughest non-conference slate in program history.
Tigers able to brush off pregame “altercation”
Auburn’s flight to Houston on Friday evening came to a halt midway through after an altercation between two players on the plane, leading the pilot to divert the plane and land back in Auburn. True freshman Jahki Howard and senior transfer Jaheim Hudson were the two accused of being involved in the scuffle.
However, Auburn looked like a united squad on Saturday night and overcame the lack of two key reserves.
Chaney Johnson was a spark for Auburn in the first half with nine points and saw an uptick in minutes in Hudson’s absence.
The Tigers are back at home on Wednesday as they host Kent State in Neville Arena. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. CT and will be streamed on SECN+.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email logan.fowler@1819News.com.
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