Tahaad Pettiford Shines as Auburn Storms Back against 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.

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“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 a 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.

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