CONTRIBUTED BY AUBURN ATHLETICS
AUBURN — Eleven years ago at his introductory press conference, Bruce Pearl outlined his objective at Auburn University.
“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 on Jan. 7 when No. 2 Auburn defeated Texas 87-82 to pass Joel Eaves (coach from 1949 to 1963) for the most wins in program history.
“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,” Pearl said. “Joel Eaves, Sonny Smith, Coach Ellis, Bruce Pearl — I’ll roll with that crowd all day every day.”
Auburn vs. Texas, Jan. 7
In the game against Texas, 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.
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.
Kelly made all three attempted 3-pointers and scored 13 first-half points to help the Tigers take a 39-27 halftime lead.
In the second half, Auburn quickly pushed its advantage to 18 on Baker-Mazara’s 3-pointer, then extended 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.
With top-ranked Tennessee falling at Florida Tuesday, Auburn (14-1, 2-0) had a path to the No. 1 ranking if the Tigers could earn another SEC road win at South Carolina.
Auburn vs. South Carolina, Jan. 11
Tahaad Pettiford passed to Dylan Cardwell for a go-ahead dunk, then made a pair of free throws with 4 seconds left to lead No. 2 Auburn to a come-from-behind 66-63 win over South Carolina at Colonial Life Arena, a victory that will likely vault the Tigers to the No. 1 ranking for only the second time in program history.
“We really stepped up and that’s what gives us a chance to be No. 1 on Monday. That matters to me because it’s history,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. “I’d rather be No. 1 at the end of the year, but we’ll take it when we can get it.”
Trailing by six at the half, Auburn erased South Carolina’s lead before Collin Murray-Boyle broke a tie with a basket on which Auburn’s Johni Broome landed awkwardly on his left ankle and missed the rest of the game.
“Without our leader, without our best player, our guys stepped up and found a way,” Pearl said.
Auburn rallied with Broome in the locker room, taking its first lead of the second half on Chaney Johnson’s 3-pointer.
Pettiford, Miles Kelly and Jahki Howard each hit 3-pointers down the stretch that either tied the score or gave Auburn the lead.
After the Gamecocks went ahead 63-62 on a layup with 5:18 to play, Auburn shut out South Carolina the rest of the game, forcing misses on the Gamecocks’ last six field goals.
With the shot clock winding down, Pettiford drove and dished to Cardwell for a dunk that gave Auburn a one-point lead with 1:32 remaining.
“You have to make something happen,” Pettiford said. “I got to the rim, I saw a gap so I tried to get the ball through that gap to get it to Cap (Cardwell) because I knew he was open. It was a really tough one. They gave us a battle. You’ve got to be able to face adversity.”
Cardwell blocked a shot to preserve Auburn’s lead before fouling out with 9 seconds left. South Carolina’s Nick Pringle missed both free throws, forcing the Gamecocks to foul. Pettiford made a pair from the free-throw line to put Auburn up by three.
“I work on my free throws every single day,” Pettiford said. “I know I put up enough of those so I know I’m prepared for the moment. My teammates and my coaches have trust in me in those type of moments, so I feel there’s no pressure.”
The Gamecocks missed a desperation 3-pointer that would’ve sent the game to overtime.
“It’s life on the road. Give South Carolina tremendous credit,” Pearl said. “The key was not fouling them and making them make tough twos. Our guards did a phenomenal job with great effort and energy of getting through screens. We stayed solid and gave ourselves a chance, which is what you want to do on the road.
“In the second half, they only scored 23 points. They were on pace to score 80. That was the difference in the game, our guys finding a way.”
Pettiford led Auburn with 15 points and Kelly added 14 points and six rebounds. Cardwell scored six points, grabbed seven rebounds, blocked three shots and made two assists.
“Dylan’s defense, his physicality, his rebounding, his poise,” Pearl said of Cardwell. “Tremendous.”
Kelly’s 3-pointer gave Auburn a 20-11 lead with 12:55 to play in the first half but Murray-Boyles helped turn South Carolina’s nine-point deficit into a nine-point lead.
Murray-Boyle scored 18 points in the first half, finishing with a game-high 25. The Gamecocks outrebounded Auburn in the first half 21-14, converting 11 offensive rebounds into 11 second-chance points.
Broome’s steal led to Pettiford’s layup cut the Gamecocks’ lead to 40-34 at the half.
Auburn improves to 15-1 and 3-0 in SEC play.
The Tigers played No. 15 Mississippi State at home in Neville Arena on Tuesday, Jan. 14. The final score was (insert score here) More information from that game will be published next week.
