One day after being dominated by Michigan, Auburn bounced back with a win over St Johns.
24 hours after they were run off the court by the No. 7 Michigan Wolverines, the No. 21 Auburn Tigers led a second half comeback to pick up a win over the No. 14 St Johns Red Storm in their final game of the Players Era Festival inside Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas.
After both sides took some time to find their footing, Auburn (6-2) took control and built a lead as high as seven points two separate times.
St Johns (4-3) fought its way back into the driver’s seat and took a 39-30 into the locker room at halftime.
Despite neither time finding a way to fully gain control during the second half, Auburn slowly chipped away at the lead St Johns had built.
A Keyshawn Hall free-throw tied the game at 63 with 7:25 left on the clock.
A Kevin Overton steal led to a Tahaad Pettiford dunk that put the Tigers up 65-63 with 6:45 left. That was Auburn’s first lead since the 5:06 mark in the first half.
From there, the Tigers continued to extend their lead, allowing them to finish the game with an 11-point victory to go 2-1 in the event.
Auburn was led in scoring by Pettiford who finished the night with 27 points. Hall also had a good night with 20 points to his name. Hall led the way in rebounds with eight, Kevin Overton led in assists with five.
The Tigers shot 29-of-53, 55%, from the field, 6-of-14, 43%, from 3-point range and 21-of-25, 84%, from the free-throw line.
St Johns points leader was Zuby Ejiofor who had 24. Bryce Hopkins’ seven rebounds was enough to lead the Red Storm, and Oziyah Sellers led in assists with three.
St Johns shot 23-of-60, 38%, from the field, 7-of-25, 28%, from beyond the arc and 21-of-28, 75%, from the charity stripe.
The Tigers return to action on Wednesday, Dec. 3, when it hosts the NC State Wolfpack at Neville Arena. Tipoff is set for 8:15 p.m., and ESPN will carry the broadcast.