Pop Isaacs' 21-point outburst fueled a 16-point comeback, capped by a buzzer-beating defensive stand that secured a dramatic 90-88 victory.
Texas A&M spent the first half Tuesday night looking like it had the wrong address, then spent the second half reminding Auburn exactly what SEC road games feel like when the Aggies get rolling.
Behind Pop Isaacs' electric 21 points off the bench and a barrage of 3s, A&M erased a 16-point deficit and escaped with a 90-88 win after Auburn's would-be game-winning 3-pointer was waved off because it came after the buzzer.
The final sequence was pure chaos.
A loose-ball scramble, a desperate kick-out, and KeShawn Murphy heaving a three from beyond the arc as the horn sounded - except the ball left his hands a beat too late. No bucket. No miracle. Aggies exhale.
Before it ever got weird at the end, it got ugly in the middle.
Auburn led 47-37 at halftime and stretched the margin to 61-45 with 12:29 left. But Texas A&M didn't panic - it started stacking stops and, more importantly, stacking 3s. The Aggies shot 52 percent overall and hit 13 triples, flipping the game from grind to track meet in about four minutes.
Isaacs went 7-of-12 from the floor, hit 4-of-8 from deep, handed out five assists, and even tossed in a block for good measure. A&M's first lead didn’t come until 8:42, when Isaacs buried a 3 that felt like the moment the entire building realized, "Oh… this is happening."
He followed it with back-to-back triples to stretch the advantage, and suddenly, Auburn was the team playing tight.
Jacari Lane added 15 points, while Rashaun Agee and Ruben Dominguez chipped in 14 apiece. Lane and Agee each grabbed seven boards, which mattered because Auburn lived at the free-throw line (23-of-31) and kept creating second-chance stress late.
Keyshawn Hall was a one-man headache, finishing with 32 points and 12 rebounds, bullying his way to putbacks and points at the stripe in the final minute to keep the Tigers within striking distance. Auburn just couldn't buy enough from deep (7-of-26) to match A&M's outside punch.
The good news is A&M's formula travels with guard play off the bench, multiple scoring options, and the ability to create momentum with 3s.
Next up, A&M gets Oklahoma on Saturday with a chance to keep the SEC start spotless ... and maybe avoid another ending that requires slow-motion replay and a rulebook.