No. 22 Auburn narrowly lost to No. 1 Houston, 73-72, in a closely contested game at Legacy Arena in Birmingham as part of The Battleground 2K25 event.
Auburn coach Steven Pearl acknowledged the strong support from fans: “I want to thank the fans. That was a phenomenal environment,” Pearl said. “Showing up in numbers like that gave our guys the confidence and courage to give a substantial effort. They always show up. I really wanted to win that game for them.”
The Tigers trailed by seven points with under three minutes remaining but managed a 6-0 run, forcing three turnovers and creating opportunities to take the lead on their final possession.
“Stay together in big situations. That’s what we did,” Tahaad Pettiford said. “We got stops when we needed to, just couldn’t convert at the end of the game. We think we can compete with anybody in the country. We fought against a great team.”
Pearl added, “Our guys did a really good job of sitting down and guarding,” he said. “We plugged gaps a little bit better. Our guys made some plays and gave us a chance to win.”
In the closing seconds, Houston blocked two shot attempts by Pettiford before Auburn attempted an inbound lob pass with one second left to KeShawn Murphy, which was deflected by Houston.
“I went up and got it,” Murphy said. “Maybe should’ve been closer to the rim on my end. They made a good play on the ball and it didn’t go our way.”
Auburn struggled at the free-throw line, missing nine shots in the second half and twelve overall.
“To come back and be in position to win the game, I’m incredibly proud of the effort,” Pearl said. “We missed 12 free throws, that’s the difference in the game. If we make our free throws, it’s a different ballgame. We expected to win the game. I have elite confidence in this group. It’s about what we do from here.”
Keyshawn Hall led Auburn with his third consecutive double-double—20 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists—while Pettiford scored 15 points and Kevin Overton added 13.
After trailing at halftime for the first time this season (39-35), Auburn kept pace through scoring runs but ultimately could not regain control after Houston extended its lead early in the second half.
Hall stayed consistent offensively despite briefly leaving due to injury late in regulation; he returned to help cut Houston’s lead before exiting again.
Auburn held Houston scoreless over nearly three minutes at game’s end while limiting their opponent’s long-range shooting—Houston converted only seven of twenty-four three-point attempts (29 percent). This marks Auburn’s third straight contest holding opponents below thirty percent from beyond the arc.
The Tigers used their fourth different starting lineup of this season: Tahaad Pettiford, Kevin Overton, KeShawn Murphy, Elyjah Freeman, and Keyshawn Hall accounted for most of Auburn’s scoring output (62 out of 72 points).
Houston has now won eight out of ten all-time meetings between these programs; last season they split games as each team claimed victory on its opponent’s home court.
Attendance was reported at 15,623 spectators for Sunday’s matchup.
Looking ahead, Auburn (3-1) will return home to face Jackson State Wednesday evening at Neville Arena.
“We have a chance to be pretty good,” Pearl said. “If we continue to do the things we know we’re capable of and continue to build and trust each other, we’ll be okay.”
