Led by the dynamic play of former 5-star, and true freshman point guard Tahaad Pettiford, the No. 11 Auburn Tigers found a star in the making on Saturday night in their 74-69 triumph over the No. 4 Houston Cougars in the Toyota Center.
After fouling out and not scoring in his debut as a Tiger in last Wednesday’s win over Vermont, Pettiford stole the show in the second half against the Cougars in an up-and-down slugfest with one of the best defensive teams in the country, leading all Tiger scorers with 21 points – 15 in the second half.
“This is what we worked for all week,” said Pettiford. “We prepared for this. We knew what we were coming in to. So, we knew it was gonna be a dog fight coming into this game. And yeah, we just wanted to make sure we came up with the win.
“Wednesday wasn't my day, but it was my teammates, and coach always tells us, ‘Not every game is going to be your game, so just be ready when your time comes.’ And today was my time,” he added.
Pettiford scored just six points in the first half, and reached early foul trouble as Auburn was unable to find an offensive spark after securing a seven-point lead, which ignited a 16-5 run by Houston to end the first half. The Cougars tenacity on the defensive end continued out of the gates in the second half, as they held the Tigers scoreless for almost four minutes of play while hitting their first four shots from the field and seeing their lead grow to nine.
But Pettiford's emergence proved to be pivotal for the Tigers down the stretch. While displaying his elite athleticism and weaving through Houston defenders, he finished his night going 5-of-8 from deep, while adding three assists and knocking down a pair of clutch free throws to extend Auburn’s lead to five as time was ticking away.
“Just wanted to get my teammates involved early, and just let the game come to me, Pettiford said.
“It's just what we work on every day in practice, late game free throws, “And today was the time I needed them and knocked them down,” he added.
The Tigers’ offense opened up with the ball in the New Jersey native’s hands, as he finished with a 13 +/- ratio – the highest of any Tiger on Saturday – and there was no doubt who Pearl was leaning on down the stretch.
“Tahaad is a special young man,” Pearl said. He’s got great talent. And, sometimes when you talk about someone’s talent, they haven’t worked at it. He’s worked at it. He’s worked at his game. He’s absolutely not afraid of the moment.”
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Logan Fowler is a Senior from Sumiton, Alabama and is majoring in journalism. He joined the Plainsman in Spring 2024.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @loganffowler
