Auburn Falls Short in Bout with Top-Ranked Houston

The Auburn Tigers put up a good fight, getting every so close, but it wasn’t enough to take down a top team

Pettiford showed up but Auburn fell short | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.- The 22nd-ranked Auburn Tigers  fell to the top-ranked Houston Cougars 73-72 in a physical defensive matchup, despite a late rally from Auburn.

Tahaad Pettiford has finally exploded back onto the scene, coming out and scoring immediately. Pettiford has had a slow start to the season, but he is seemingly getting back to his old self against the best competition in the country. Pettiford finished with 15 points, one rebound, and one assist. 

“Tahaad did a good job of splitting the ball screen and getting downhill,” head coach Steven Pearl said. “He was locked into what we were trying to do. I thought the execution was really good late in the game.”

The story of the game from Auburn is free throws. Auburn went 21-of-33 from the free-throw line in what ended up being a one-point loss. 

The first half was very back and forth, with the halftime score tied at 39-39. Auburn was unable to guard Houston freshman guard Kingston Flemings. At halftime, Flemings had 18 points, three rebounds, and three assists, whilst shooting 6-9 from the field. Flemings finished with 22 points.

Auburn was able to hang with Houston on the glass, despite Houston being one of the best in the country at grabbing rebounds. The Tigers actually led in rebounding by a 2-point margin at halftime, but finished with a -3 rebounding margin.

Coming out of halftime, Elyjah Freeman decided to tell everyone hello with a poster over two Houston defenders, which gave Auburn some momentum coming out of halftime. 

ELYJAH POSTERRRRR‼️‼️ pic.twitter.com/BWBE2E2dif

— Auburn Basketball (@AuburnMBB) November 16, 2025

Houston often sent double teams to whoever was handling the ball, forcing Auburn to play a different game than it used to. Swinging passes all over the court, Houston intercepted quite a few of them. Auburn finished with eight turnovers. 

Keyshawn Hall exited the game with 4:14 left in the game with a lower leg injury after hitting two free throws. Before he exited, he had 20 points, 11 rebounds, and one assist. Hall went to the locker room but came back out to sit with his team on the bench, and was visibly upset about the injury.

The momentum swung back and forth all game long, with Houston getting the final push needed after Hall’s injury.

With one second left, Auburn lobbed from the sideline to KeShawn Murphy at the rim, but Houston knocked the ball away to hang on for the one-point win.

“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.”

Free-throw shooting is what hurt the Tigers the most today. Something that can be worked on and improved in practice. 

“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.” 

The Tigers also shot 39% from the field, not a winning recipe in basketball. Steven Pearl falls to 0-1 in his coaching career against ranked teams. 

Although the Tigers lost this matchup, Auburn proved that it can compete with the best of the best in the country. Auburn will now have to turn the page and prepare for Jackson State this Tuesday at 8 p.m.