Pettiford paces Auburn in Senior Night win over LSU

AUBURN, Ala. – Tahaad Pettiford showcased his full arsenal, mixing 3-pointers, old-school right-handed floaters and a highlight-reel dunk to lead Auburn to an 88-74 victory over LSU Tuesday on Senior Night at Neville Arena.  

“Great to get a win, great to send our seniors out on a right note,” said Auburn coach Steven Pearl, who began his postgame remarks by thanking Auburn fans for their support throughout a game that tipped at 9 p.m. CT. “Defensively, we did a lot of good things early, and we were very in control offensively tonight, which makes a big difference.”

Pettiford scored 27 points on 10-of-16 shooting, adding six assists, four steals and two rebounds to help Auburn lead by double digits for much of the second half.

“Team-wise, it feels amazing,” Pettiford said. “Trying to get that momentum to show the world what we can do.”

Leading by seven at the half, Pettiford scored 17 points after intermission, hitting a pair of 3-pointers in 44 seconds to give Auburn an 11-point lead.

The 6-foot-1 sophomore then drove for a thunderous slam, scoring eight points in 90 seconds.

“Do what we’ve got to do to win,” Pettiford said. “Trying to get downhill, that’s what our coach preaches. I’ve been looking for that type of dunk all year, so I was glad to get it.”

Pettiford then turned back the clock and flaunted his ambidexterity with a righty bank shot high off the backboard. 

Kevin Overton took over from there, scoring 14 consecutive Auburn points on a trio of 3-pointers, a layup and three free throws. 

“He hit some tough ones and he was feeling it tonight,” Pearl said of Overton. “I’m more pleased with what he did defensively. It was great to see him and Tahaad sit down and guard.”

Overton scored 21 points, combining with Pettiford to make 8 of 13 3-pointers.

Keyshawn Hall contributed 17 points, six rebounds and three assists. Elyjah Freeman added 10 points and six rebounds. 

With Auburn ahead by 17 in the final minute, Pearl called timeout to let senior walk-ons Reed Trapp and CJ Williams enter the game.

Auburn converted LSU’s 10 first-half turnovers into a 10-0 advantage in points off turnovers to take a 41-34 halftime lead.

“We were more active with our hands,” said Pearl, whose team tallied 13 steals. “We were more aggressive and in the right positions. When you play with great energy and activity like that, anything you do is going to work.”

The lead changed hands 14 times in the first half before Hall’s transition layup with 3:46 to play.

After LSU tied the score on Michael Nwoko’s dunk, Freeman put the home team ahead to stay with a 3-pointer, adding another in the final minute for a seven-point Auburn lead. 

Nwoko scored 19 points to lead LSU (15-15, 3-14). 

Auburn (16-14, 7-10) concludes the regular season Saturday at No. 16 Alabama at 7:30 p.m. CT on ESPN and the Auburn Sports Network. 

“We have to carry that over to Saturday against a really high-powered offense and into the SEC Tournament,” Pearl said. 

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

GAME NOTES

• Tuesday night is the 85th consecutive sellout at Neville Arena (9,121).
• Auburn shot 54.4 percent (31-of-57), including 41.7 percent (10-of-24) from long range. It was the 10^th time this season the Tigers have shot at least 50 percent from the floor, including four times in SEC play.
• Auburn has shot 52.8 percent (57-of-108) over the last two games.
• Tuesday was the ninth time the Tigers have made double-digit 3-point field goals this season, including four times in conference action.
• Auburn went 16-of-22 from the free-throw line on the night. For the season, the Tigers have made 615 free throws, which is second in program history, only trailing Auburn’s 647 made free throws during the 2017-18 season.
• Auburn won the turnover battle, 16-9. LSU’s 16 turnovers were the most turnovers the Tigers have forced in an SEC game this season. The Tigers recorded an SEC season-high 13 steals, tied for the second-most Auburn has had in any game (16 vs. Jackson State and 13 vs. Queens).
• Auburn committed only nine turnovers. It was the 13^th time this season the Tigers committed single-digit turnovers, including the eighth time in the last 12 games.
• Auburn placed four players in double figures, led by Tahaad Pettiford’s 27 points. Pettiford finished 10-of-16 from the floor and tied his career high with four steals. (all in the first half). It was his 11^th 20-point game of the season, including six in the last eight games, and the 17th of his career. The sophomore is averaging 20.0 points, 4.6 assists and 2.9 rebounds over the last eight games.
• Kevin Overton added 21 points on 6-of-10 field goals, including 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. It was his fifth straight game in double figures and his seventh 20-point game on the year to give him 12 for his career.
• Pettiford and Overton combined to score 31 of Auburn’s 47 second-half points on 10-of-13 shooting overall, including 6-of-8 from deep, and the duo went 5-of-5 from the foul line after halftime.
• Keyshawn Hall scored 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the floor and added six rebounds. The senior has scored in double figures in 27 of 28 games this season and 82 times in his career. Hall has scored 578 points on the season, which is 16^th on Auburn’s single-season scoring list. His 207 made free throws put him one away from John Mengelt’s record of 208 free throws during the 1970-71 season.
• Elyjah Freeman chipped in with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting, including two three-pointers. It was his 11^th game in double figures on the season, including three in the last four games.