Coach Steven Pearl and the Auburn Tigers were able to eke out a scrappy 84–73 win against the Oregon Ducks, handing the Ducks their first loss of the new season. The Tigers utilized a stellar, team-wide offensive performance in the second half to cruise to a double-digit victory, despite the game being within 10 points for a majority of the night.
Despite a rough offensive showing from the Tigers in the first half, Auburn’s defense was able to keep them in the game, forcing the Ducks into 10 turnovers. As a result, the Tigers took 10 more shots than Oregon at the half, making up for their lack of shooting efficiency. Auburn’s defense remained puzzling for Oregon all night, as the Tigers won the turnover battle 18–6 while recording 12 steals. Oregon struggled shooting the ball all night, hitting a less-than-impressive 38% from the field on 61 attempts and 27% from 3 on 33 attempts. Other than senior guard Takai Simpson, who put up an impressive shooting performance, the rest of the Oregon team shot just 4–for-25 from beyond the arc.
The Tigers showed great offensive adjustment in the second half, cleaning up mistakes, taking higher-percentage shots, and getting to the foul line with much more consistency. A major key for Auburn tonight was something that had been a struggle early in the season: the Tigers were able to hit their free throws at a high rate, making 19 of their 23 attempts.
Star Auburn sophomore Tahaad Pettiford had his breakout game for the Tigers tonight. Pettiford, who had been in a shooting slump to start the year, scored a season-high 24 points on an efficient 50% shooting from the field. Pettiford also led the Tigers in assists and blocks while holding Oregon point guard Jackson Shelstad to just nine points on 4–for-17 shooting — nearly 10 points below his season average. If Pettiford can continue his dominant play, he will likely see his NBA draft stock rise, similar to late last season.
UCF transfer Keyshawn Hall also had a great game for the Tigers, recording 18 points and shooting a perfect 6-for-6 from the line in his first game back after being sidelined with a foot injury late in the Houston game. While Hall’s shooting night was not his best of the year, he hit a clutch 3-point shot with under three minutes to play that essentially iced the game for the Tigers, putting them up 10 on the Ducks.
Other impressive performances came from D2 transfer Elyjah Freeman, who recorded four steals and a block while leading the team in rebounds, and Bosnian international recruit Filip Jovic, who, despite playing minimal minutes due to foul trouble, scored nine points on perfect shooting and collected four rebounds in just 14 minutes of action.
The Tigers’ work will be cut out for them tomorrow as they take on the No. 7-ranked team in the country, the Michigan Wolverines, without a single day’s rest. If the Tigers can pull out the win, Steven Pearl will earn his first official top-25 victory in just his seventh game as a head coach.
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Jonathan is a freshman majoring in industrial and systems engineering. He started with The Plainsman in the fall of 2025.
