By Kenneth Cross
No. 11 Auburn’s spellbinding 74-69 win over No. 4 Houston on Saturday night showed the reasoning behind moving the beginning of college basketball season to early November and putting together a quality matchup.
The Tigers and Cougars battled each other with a physical approach in a high-level game where Auburn shot 53 percent from the floor against the tough Cougars’ defense.
Auburn proved its defense is once again a major factor as the Tigers held Houston to 41 percent from the field. After Auburn took the lead for good at 68-67 with 1:50 remaining, the Tigers allowed the Cougars to go only 1-for-5 with three turnovers to finish the game.
“If you put two on the ball, then you’ve got to come off of it and play advantage-disadvantage basketball,” said Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl. “That’s what we worked on all week long and our guys did it.”
Houston coach Kelvin Sampson agreed with Pearl and likened the Tigers to some of the strong defensive teams that he has coached in 11 seasons as the Cougars’ head coach.
“Two good defenses out there and when you play against a team like Auburn, it’s like teams in the past against us,” analyzed Sampson. “A lot of teams have had their worst games because they played Houston. It’s not a knock on their offenses, our defense is really good and I think you can say that about Auburn.”
Five Cougars scored in double figures as LJ Cryer and Emanuel Sharp posted 13 points apiece. Sharp netted five points in a 13-3 Cougars run late in the first half which allowed them to pull into a 33-28 lead at the break.
Auburn true freshman Tahaad Pettiford led all scorers with 21 points as he hit five threes while making 7-of-11 shots.
“Sometimes when you talk about someone’s talent, they haven’t worked at it,” commented Pearl, on Pettiford’s skills and ability. “He’s worked at it. He’s worked at his game. He’s absolutely not afraid of the moment.”
Pettiford scored seven in a row in the second half as Houston posts JoJo Tugler and J’Wan Roberts combined for 12 consecutive points inside to allow the Cougars to keep their lead at 53-51 with 6:39 remaining.
“He was really really good,” said Sampson of Pettiford. “He changed the game and he did it in transition. A big point of emphasis for this game was transition defense because Auburn is so good at it.”
Johni Broome was tough in the paint on both ends of the floor as he scored 18 of his 20 points in the second half and shot 10-of-15 from the field with nine rebounds. Sampson noted his play and that’s how he is a first-team all-American.
“Johni is a terrific leader and he’s led by example, more this year than any other year, with his attitude, with his practice, with his unselfishness,” said Pearl.
Auburn showed it’s depth in outscoring Houston, 39-17 off the bench where Chaney Johnson complemented Pettiford and Broome with 11 points and 10 rebounds.