Pearl sets program wins record, No. 2 Auburn defeats Texas

AUSTIN, Texas – During his introductory press conference, Bruce Pearl outlined his objective at Auburn.

“I want to build my legacy here,” Pearl said on his 54th birthday on March 18, 2014. “I’d like to try to be the winningest coach in the history of Auburn basketball.”

Mission accomplished. 

Fewer than 11 years later, Pearl earned win No. 214 Tuesday when No. 2 Auburn defeated Texas 87-82 at Moody Center to pass Joel Eaves (1949-63) for the most wins in program history.

“If I said that’s what I wanted to do, I meant it,” Pearl said. “I want to reward Auburn for giving me the opportunity. I go to work every day trying to reward Auburn for giving me the chance to be their basketball coach and be a part of this Auburn family. I mean it from the bottom of my heart.

“Joel Eaves, Sonny Smith, Coach Ellis. Bruce Pearl. I’ll roll with that crowd all day every day. The kids were excited about it. I have confidence in them and over a period of time, their confidence builds in us. I don’t think we panicked late. We’ve got a lot to learn from. The kids were happy for me.”

Johni Broome registered his 10th double-double of the season, leading Auburn with 20 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, three blocked shots and two steals. 

Miles Kelly scored 18 points, Chad Baker-Mazara scored 16, and Denver Jones and Tahaad Pettiford each added 10 points. 

“It was a gritty win,” said Kelly, who was 4-for-6 on 3-pointers. “We made it interesting at the end. It’s all about maturity. We have 10 seniors so we have some guys who have been through some adversity.”

Leading by 12 points at the half, Auburn quickly pushed its advantage to 18 on Baker-Mazara’s 3-pointer, extending the lead to 21 on Jahki Howard’s offensive rebound and jumper with 12:57 to play. 

The Longhorns rallied over the next five minutes, trimming the Tigers’ lead to single digits before Baker-Mazara’s layup and Kelly’s second-chance 3-pointer put Auburn ahead 69-55 with 6:53 remaining. 

Baker-Mazara hit a pair of free throws to put Auburn ahead by 17 points with 4:44 to play before the Longhorns furiously rallied, pulling within five points on Arthur Kaluma’s 3-pointer with 50 seconds remaining. Kaluma led all scorers with 34 points. 

Baker-Mazara scored all 16 of his points in the second half and made his first seven free throws to extend his program record to 51 consecutive makes before missing his final attempt with 1:59 to play. 

The Longhorns twice got within three points in the final minute but Jones and Pettiford each hit a pair of free throws to secure the victory for Auburn.

“It got to be a one-possession game. It’s a 40-minute game. Texas didn’t go anywhere,” Pearl said. “We had to make some plays. Chad Baker made some big plays down the stretch offensively.”

Kelly made 3 of 3 3-pointers and scored 13 first-half points to help the Tigers take a 39-27 halftime lead. 

Auburn took advantage of four early Longhorn turnovers and used a 9-0 run to take a nine-point lead. Pettiford’s 3-pointer extended Auburn’s lead to 10 points.

Broome’s dunk on an assist from Kelly in the closing seconds of the half helped Auburn match its biggest lead of 12 points.

With top-ranked Tennessee falling at Florida Tuesday, Auburn (14-1, 2-0) has a path to the No. 1 ranking if the Tigers can earn another SEC road win Saturday at South Carolina at noon CT.

“Look around the league,” Pearl said. “It’s tough to win on the road. I’m ready to go on to South Carolina. Let’s go.”

Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer

POSTGAME NOTES

• Auburn leads Texas 2-1 all-time after the Tigers won the first meeting between the two teams as SEC foes and the first game at Texas in series history on Tuesday night.
• The win is Bruce Pearl’s 214th victory in his 11 seasons as Auburn head coach, passing Joel Eaves, who won 213 games leading the Tigers for 14 seasons from 1949-50 through 1962-63, for the most wins in program history.
• Pearl is 3-1 against Texas in his head coaching career with the three previous meetings coming while he was at Tennessee. Tuesday night’s game was the first meeting between Pearl and third-year Longhorn head coach Rodney Terry.
• Auburn has opened the season 14-1 or better for the eighth time in program history and the fourth time over the last eight seasons.
• Auburn has started SEC play 2-0 for the 26th time in program history and the fifth time in the last eight seasons, including 10-0 in 2022, 5-0 in 2024, 4-0 in 2018 and 3-0 in 2020. 
• Auburn improved to 2-0 in the state of Texas this season after the Tigers defeated No. 4 Houston 74-69 in the Toyota Center in Houston on Nov. 9.
• Auburn has won seven straight games for the second time this season after the Tigers won their first seven games of the season. 
• The win is Auburn’s seventh win away from home this season and the Tigers’ first true road win of the year.
• Auburn went 21-of-25 from the foul line, including 20-of-24 in the second half. The Tigers’ 21 made free throws tied a season high from the Georgia State and Monmouth games.
• Auburn blocked 10 shots, which is the second-most blocked shots for the Tigers this season, only behind the 13 blocks they had against Ohio State. 
• Johni Broome led five players in double figures for Auburn with his 70th career double-double, scoring 20 points and grabbing 12 rebounds to go with five assists, three blocks and two steals. It is Broome’s 10th 20-point game of the season, including both SEC games, and his fourth game of at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.
• Miles Kelly scored 18 points on 4-of-6 shooting from long range, including 13 points on 3-of-3 shooting from deep in the first half. He added three rebounds and one assist in the win. It is Kelly’s fourth game with at least four 3-pointers and his seventh game in double figures this season.
• Chad Baker-Mazara scored all 16 of his points in the second half. Baker-Mazara finished 4-of-6 from the floor, 1-of-2 from 3-point range and 7-of-8 from the foul line. His school record streak of consecutive free throws ended at 51.
• Denver Jones and Tahaad Pettiford each scored 10 points on the night. It is Jones’ 12th game in double figures this season, including six of the last seven games. He has scored 10 points in the first two SEC games and has 11 assists and three turnovers in the first two league games after recording four assists and only one turnover at Texas. He also had two rebounds and two blocks against the Longhorns.
• Pettiford also scored 10 points for the second straight SEC game after he went 3-of-7 from the floor, including 1-of-2 from long range, and 3-of-3 from the foul line, and he added three rebounds and a steal at Texas. The freshman has scored in double figures in eight of his first 15 career games, including all five games against ranked opponents and both SEC games.