Led by an electric performance from true freshman Tahaad Pettiford and Johni Broome, No. 11 Auburn takes down No. 4 Houston in the rocket city 74-69 on Saturday night – marking its highest-ranked non-conference win in program history.
“I mean, obviously, a historic win. We needed this,” Pearl said on the Auburn radio postgame show. “I was so pleased with their competitiveness. I was so pleased with the bench.”
Tonight marked Pettiford’s second official college basketball game. His first, didn’t feature a single point as the five-star true freshman shot 0-of-4 from the field against Vermont.
But, when the lights shined the brightest against No. 4 Houston tonight inside the Toyota Center, Pettiford shined brighter. He led the Tigers with 21 points shooting 5-of-8 from deep. The Jersey City, N.J. native hit three 3-pointers down the stretch totaling 15 points by playing 15:34 of the final 15:42 of the second half.
“Wednesday wasn't my day, but it was my teammates,” Pettiford said. “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.”
Alongside Pettiford, Johni Broome carried the Tigers to the finish line with a 16-point second half performance shooting 8-for-10 in his final 18 minutes of play. Broome and Pettiford combined to make 13 of Auburn’s 16 buckets from the second half.
“How about our front line? How about Johni Broome and Chaney Johnson and Dylan Cardwell just dominating, dominating the inside. Chaney with a double double. Johni was absolutely unstoppable,” Pearl said.
While Broome and Pettiford sealed the deal late, it was Chaney Johnson that kept Auburn in the fight early while the Tigers missed their first seven 3-point attempts. Johnson compiled nine first half points by shooting 3-for-4 from the field and making three shots from the charity stripe.
“There was great communication on the bench, great confidence that we could guard those guys,” Pearl said. “You know, I think the key to beating that team is only giving them five threes.”
In a defensive tailored matchup, the Tigers held Houston to five 3-pointers, forcing 10 turnovers which led to 10 points off turnovers. Auburn also had seven blocks and six steals against the Cougars.
“So, man, this is going to be one happy ride,” Pearl said. “This is going to be one happy ride home.”
Following an emotional win in the lone star state, No. 11 Auburn will travel home to the friendly confines of Neville Arena to take on Kent State on Wednesday, Nov. 13 with tipoff set for 7 p.m. CST. The contest will be aired on the SEC Network+ and ESPN app.
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Patrick is a junior from Auburn, Alabama, double majoring in journalism and marketing. He started with The Plainsman in the fall of 2022.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @patrickabingham
