Overton, Pettiford pace Auburn in 80-68 exhibition finale win over Samford

AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn relied on its seasoned backcourt in the Tigers’ final tuneup for the regular season, and Tahaad Pettiford and Kevin Overton came through Thursday in an 80-68 exhibition win over Samford.

“Solid win tonight. That’s a good Samford team. They’ve got some pieces,” Auburn coach Steven Pearl said. “That was a tough game for our traditional size to play in. Part of why we play exhibitions games is to get exposed. I feel like we learned a lot over these last three games. A lot of really good film to lean on.”

Overton led Auburn with 25 points and Pettiford added 20 to account for 56 percent of the Tigers’ total. 

“It’s the flow of our offense. We put the defense in weird situations where you can create open looks for yourself,” said Overton, who made 5 of 10 3-point attempts. “Our offense is built on confusing the defense. Some of those open looks will always be there.”

Auburn trailed for much of the first half until Kolby King, in his preseason debut, made a 4-point play to give the Tigers a 23-22 lead.

 “He’s got an innate ability to make shots,” Pearl said. “He gave us a really nice boost. We’ve got to play him more if he’s going to give us that positive impact off the bench. Having that depth allows you to compete more and go best on best more in practice.”

Pettiford sank a corner catch-and-shoot 3-pointer after an inbounds pass in the final minute of the half, then Overton hit a long 3 with eight seconds left to end the half on a 9-0 run to lead 35-24 at intermission.

Fueled by Cooper Noard’s game-high 30 points, the visiting Bulldogs stayed within striking distance for much of the second half. 

After Samford made 7 of its first 10 shots to pull within one, Overton and Pettiford scored the next seven points to put Auburn ahead 48-40.

“I felt good coming out. Preparing throughout the week knowing I was going to get those shots and when gametime came, they fell,” said Pettiford, who led Auburn with four assists and committed only one turnover in 30 minutes. “We knew they needed turnovers to get their offense going.”

Overton hit a pair of 3-pointers, including one when Pettiford found him at the top of the key in the waning seconds of the shot clock, to keep the Bulldogs at bay. 

Freshman Caleb Williams then took over down the stretch, hitting a trio of 3-pointers in the final five minutes to finish with 14 points, all in the second half.

“He doesn’t play like a freshman which is very encouraging,” Pearl said. “He’s incredibly coachable. He’s capable of making tough shots and he showed that in tonight’s game, especially late in the second half. He works really hard, which I love about him.”

Auburn outrebounded Samford 44-27 and amassed a commanding 22-4 advantage in second-chance points. Overton led the Tigers with eight rebounds while Thomas Dowd added seven. Pettiford chipped in four rebounds.

“I thought Thomas Dowd was really good,” Pearl said. “He runs to the offensive glass every single time. He sets big screens, he makes all the right reads, he doesn’t turn the ball over. He does so many things that impact winning.”

The exhibition season concluded, Auburn opens the 2026-27 season Wednesday at Neville Arena vs. Southeastern Louisiana in Tipoff on The Plains.

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

GAME NOTES

• Auburn placed three players in double figures, led by Kevin Overton with 25 points on 9-of-14 shooting, including 5-of-10 from deep and 2-of-2 from the foul line. Overton averaged 25.5 points on 47.8 percent shooting from 3-point range in Auburn’s last two exhibitions after scoring 26 points on 6-of-13 shooting from long range against Alabama. He added a team-high eight rebounds in 33 minutes against Samford.
• Tahaad Pettiford matched his scoring total from the first exhibition against Florida State with 20 points on 9-of-17 field goals and 2-of-5 from 3-point range to go with four rebounds and four assists in 30 minutes.
• Overton and Pettiford combined to shoot 18-of-31 for 45 points. The pair shot 7-of-15 from 3-point range. Including exhibitions, it is the third time Pettiford and Overton each had 20 points in a game.
• Caleb Williams scored all 14 of his points in the final 9:38 of the game. Williams finished 5-of-7 from the floor, including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc, and 1-of-2 from the free throw line, and he added four rebounds, one assist and one steal in 22 minutes.
• Auburn finished the first half on a 21-4 run over the final 6:20 to take a 35-24 lead. The Tigers outscored the Bulldogs 21-12 over the final 7:16 of the game.
• Auburn held Samford to 1-of-9 shooting to end the first half. The Bulldogs missed each of their final nine jump shots to end the opening period.
• Auburn shot 52.9 percent (18-of-34) in the second half and finished the night shooting 48.4 percent (31-of-64). The Tigers made 12 3-pointers against Samford and averaged 12.0 3-point field goals in three exhibition contests.
• Auburn committed three turnovers in the first 3:53 and then had only four turnovers the remainder of the game. The Tigers did not commit a turnover in the final 11:12 of the game.
• Auburn outrebounded Samford, 44-27. The Tigers had a 13.0 rebounding advantage in their last two exhibition games.
• Auburn did not commit a foul until 41 seconds remaining in the first half and finished the half with just the one foul.