BIRMINGHAM Ala. \u2013 In a matchup and setting that closely resembled the second weekend of March Madness, No. 22 Auburn battled No. 1 Houston before falling 73-72 Sunday at Legacy Arena in The Battleground 2K25.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to thank the fans. That was a phenomenal environment,\u201d Auburn coach Steven Pearl<\/a> said. \u201cShowing up in numbers like that gave our guys the confidence and courage to give a substantial effort. They always show up. I really wanted to win that game for them.\u201d<\/p>\n Trailing by seven with 2:57 to play, Auburn forced three Houston turnovers in a 6-0 run that gave the Tigers three chances to win on the game\u2019s final possession.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cStay together in big situations. That\u2019s what we did,\u201d Tahaad Pettiford<\/a> said. \u201cWe got stops when we needed to, just couldn\u2019t convert at the end of the game. We think we can compete with anybody in the country. We fought against a great team.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOur guys did a really good job of sitting down and guarding,\u201d Pearl said. \u201cWe plugged gaps a little bit better. Our guys made some plays and gave us a chance to win.\u201d<\/p>\n In the final 15 seconds, Houston twice blocked Pettiford\u2019s shots out of bounds.<\/p>\n \u201cTahaad did a good job of splitting the ball screen and getting downhill,\u201d Pearl said. \u201cHe was locked into what we were trying to do. I thought the execution was really good late in the game.\u201d<\/p>\n With one second left, Auburn lobbed from the sideline to KeShawn Murphy<\/a> at the rim, but Houston knocked the ball away to hang on for the one-point win.<\/p>\n \u201cI went up and got it,\u201d Murphy said. \u201cMaybe should\u2019ve been closer to the rim on my end. They made a good play on the ball and it didn\u2019t go our way.\u201d<\/p>\n Nine missed free throws in the second half proved costly for Auburn.<\/p>\n \u201cTo come back and be in position to win the game, I\u2019m incredibly proud of the effort,\u201d Pearl said. \u201cWe missed 12 free throws, that\u2019s the difference in the game. If we make our free throws, it\u2019s a different ballgame. We expected to win the game. I have elite confidence in this group. It\u2019s about what we do from here.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Keyshawn Hall<\/a> recorded his third straight double-double to lead the Tigers with 20 points, 11 rebounds and three assists. Pettiford scored 15 and Kevin Overton<\/a> added 13.\u00a0<\/p>\n Trailing 39-35 at the half, Auburn\u2019s deficit doubled to eight when Houston freshman Chris Cenac Jr. hit a 3-pointer.<\/p>\n Auburn answered with a 6-0 run and a four-point possession that began with Elyjah Freeman<\/a>\u2019s poster dunk on Cenac, who fouled Freeman on the play.\u00a0<\/p>\n Overton drew a foul while rebounding the missed free throw, leading to Hall\u2019s layup.<\/p>\n The Tigers had a chance to take the lead but Auburn missed and Joseph Tuggler jammed at the other end for a 48-44 Houston lead.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hall then pulled Auburn within one point on a layup and a pair of free throws.<\/p>\n Auburn outrebounded the Cougars in the first half, but Houston won the battle of the boards in the second half, using a 7-0 run to take an eight-point lead.<\/p>\n Emanuel Sharp\u2019s second-chance corner 3-pointer gave Houston a 55-49 lead with 12:29 to play.\u00a0<\/p>\n Pettiford kept the Tigers within striking distance, with a nifty drive after a Cougars turnover, followed by a 3-pointer.<\/p>\n Sebastian Williams-Adams<\/a> and Murphy took turns assisting each other for layups that pulled the Tigers within two points with 6:12 to play.<\/p>\n Hall scored on a putback, then after an Auburn stop, Hall drew a foul on a drive but needed help getting to the bench after going to the floor with 4:14 remaining. He stayed in the game, cutting Houston\u2019s lead to 68-66 after a timeout before exiting.<\/p>\n Pettiford brought the pro-Auburn crowd to its feet with a pair of first-half 3-pointers. After Kaden Magwood<\/a>\u2019s 3-pointer put the Tigers up 19-16, Houston made a pair of steals in a 7-0 run that gave the Cougars a five-point lead.<\/p>\n As chants of \u201cLet\u2019s go, Auburn!\u201d filled the BJCC, Freeman made a 3-pointer after Murphy\u2019s offensive rebound to give the Tigers what would be their last lead of the game with 1:55 to play in the half before Houston ended the half on Kingston Flemings\u2019 3-pointer with two seconds to go. Flemings led all scorers with 22 points.<\/p>\n Auburn (3-1) returns to Neville Arena to host Jackson State Wednesday at 8 p.m. CT on SEC Network and the Auburn Sports Network.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a chance to be pretty good,\u201d Pearl said. \u201cIf we continue to do the things we know we\u2019re capable of and continue to build and trust each other, we\u2019ll be okay.\u201d<\/p>\n Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer<\/a><\/p>\n