Kelly, Pettiford and second half defense provide much-needed spark for Tigers

With 13:45 left to play, Auburn big man, - and frontrunner for National Player of the Year – Johni Broome, went down with an ankle injury and would not return to action for the No. 2 Auburn Tigers on Saturday. Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl called it a “significant sprain” postgame and said further evaluation would take place upon the team’s arrival in Auburn. 

Up until that point, it was an uncharacteristic night for Broome, shooting just 3-of-11 from the floor with six points in 23 minutes played. His opposition down low, Collin Murray-Boyles had just matched his season-high in scoring (22) moments before Broome's early exit.  

“Offense was difficult. It really was, because he's such a great offensive player,” Pearl said on playing without Broome. “But they're really big, and good inside. So, you know, he got 11 shots off in the 23 minutes he played. But they're really good defensively.”

With Broome’s absence, and big men Dylan Cardwell and Chaney Johnson in foul trouble it looked as if the Tigers' seven-game winning streak was in danger of coming to an end. But Pearl looked no further than a phenom freshman and sharpshooting sniper to provide an offensive punch without the squad’s leading scorer on the floor. 

Miles Kelly, who connected on a big 3-pointer down the stretch, connected on 4-of-8 from deep making it five games this season in which the 6-foot-6 two-guard has connected on at least four 3-pointers. He is shooting a 42.3 percent clip from beyond the arc this season and leads the Tigers with 37 makes from deep. 

Tahaad Pettiford continued his way of showing up in big-time moments, pouring in a team-high 15 points, connecting on two 3-pointers and essentially icing the game for the Tigers down the stretch with a pair of free throws in the final moments of play. 

“I just thought our guards, you know, Miles Kelly came off some screens, knocked down four big threes. Tahaad Pettiford, a couple big ones in the second half, and obviously, he was five-of-six from the free throw line,” Pearl said. “We only make six free throws. But that's life on the road.” 

The biggest difference for the Tigers was that it was a tale of two halves defensively. After going for 18 in the first 20 minutes of play, Murray-Boyles was held to seven second-half points. His counterpart, Nick Pringle, - though he went for a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double – was held to just four second-half points. The two helped put together 26 points in the paint in the first half in which the Gamecocks went for 40 total. 

“I thought South Carolina's size and physicality really bothered us. And even with Johni, we did not do a good job defensively in the first half. But in the second half, they only scored 23 points. They were on pace to score 80. And so that was the difference in the game,” Pearl said. 

With the Tigers narrowly escaping disaster in the 66-63 win, and extending their winning streak to eight, they will await Monday’s release of the AP top 25 poll in hopes of seeing their name atop the country’s best. 

“We really stepped up and that’s what gives us a chance to be number one on Monday,” Pearl said. “That matters to me because it’s history. I’d rather be number one at the end of the year, but we’ll take it when we can get it.”