Auburn’s search for their first SEC win of the Steven Pearl era came down to tenths of a second Tuesday night at Neville Arena.
After nearly two hours of momentum swings, missed opportunities and late-game drama, Texas A&M escaped with a 90-88 victory. The Aggies handed Auburn its first home loss of the season, snapping the Tigers’ perfect 6-0 record on the Plains.
Despite early struggles, Auburn clawed back behind its defense. Elyjah Freeman sparked a turnaround midway through the half with a fast-break layup, lighting a fire under the Tigers.
Auburn closed the half on a 9-0 run over the final 2:14, highlighted by its big men finishing the job. KeShawn Murphy’s fast-break dunk and Sebastian Williams-Adams’ 3-pointer featured Auburn’s diverse shot selection.
The exclamation point of the first half was Tahaad Pettiford drawing a foul at the buzzer, knocking down two of three free throws to send Auburn into halftime with a 47-37 advantage. Free throws and turnovers defined the opening 20 minutes. The Tigers made 12 first-half free throws to Texas A&M’s five and converted Aggie errors into 14 points off turnovers.
However, the second half had some surprises in store. Keyshawn Hall helped Auburn build its largest lead at 16 after a personal 5-2 run early, but Texas A&M responded with full-court pressure and hot shooting. Pop Isaacs caught fire, knocking down three 3-pointers in under two minutes as part of a 25-6 Aggie run that flipped the game on its head.
Texas A&M shot 53% from beyond the arc in the second half, making nine 3-pointers, while Auburn shot just 15% from deep after halftime. However, Auburn still had chances late. Kevin Overton hit a 3-pointer with 2:30 left, Hall converted an and-one with 32 seconds remaining, and the Tigers benefitted from late Aggie misses at the free-throw line.
Hall, who finished with a game-high 32 points, made two free throws with seven seconds left to cut the deficit to one. After trips back and forth to the free-throw line, Texas A&M led 90-88 with less than a second remaining. Auburn got the ball in to Murphy, who heaved the ball from midcourt in a desperate attempt to keep the Tigers’ perfect record at home. Miraculously, the shot fell, sending Neville Arena into a frenzy.
However, after several minutes of review amid the Auburn celebrations, officials ruled the ball left Murphy’s fingertips after the final buzzer. The call swung momentum in the building one final time, dealing the Tigers their second consecutive loss to begin SEC play. However, head coach Steven Pearl remained optimistic about his team after the crushing blow.
“We got something in there,” Pearl said. “I’m proud of their grit and their fight.”
Auburn will look to bounce back Saturday, Jan. 10, when the Tigers return home to face No. 15 Arkansas in Neville Arena.
