They had to survive a scare from the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats to do it, but the Auburn Tigers are 1-0 in the Steven Pearl era.

No. 20 Auburn picked up a 95-90 win in overtime on Monday night inside Neville Arena.

Keyshawn Hall, who joined the Tigers this season after transferring from UCF, put on a show on the opening night of the season. He led all scorers with 28 points, also recording five rebounds and an assist, while shooting 5-of-11 from the field, 2-of-4 from 3-point range and 16-of-18 from the free-throw line. He was the only member of the Tigers to cross the 20-point threshold.

The contest was back-and-forth from the beginning, as neither side was able to build more than five points of separation during the first half. Auburn did hold the lead for more than six consecutive minutes in the back half of the first frame, but was unable to pull away during that time.

The second half was more of the same. The Tigers did manage to go on an eight-point run, but the Wildcats responded immediately with a seven-point run of their own that prevented Auburn from widening the gap.

Hall buried two free-throws with three seconds remaining that appeared to put the game on ice for the Tigers, but after Elyjah Freeman committed a shooting foul on Bethune Cookman's buzzer-beater attempt, Arterio Morris buried three-consecutive free-throws that tied the game and forced overtime.

The Tigers held on to the driver's seat throughout the extra period, setting themselves up for their first win of the season.

Auburn finished the game 31-of-66, 47%, from the field, 6-of-23, 26.1%, from 3-point range and 27-of-38, 71.1%, from the free-throw line. 

The Tigers out-rebounded the Wildcats 40-33, making a difference in their ability to get the job done late.

The Tigers return to action on Thursday night when they host the Merrimack Warriors. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. CT and the broadcast can be found on SEC Network+.