Auburn entered Wednesday night’s matchup against Texas on a hot streak, having won three straight games, including a 76–67 road victory over Florida, and looked to prove they are top contenders in the SEC.
Texas opened the first half shooting lights out, hitting 7-of-10 from three, while Auburn struggled, making just 5-of-15 from the field. Auburn found some early success at the free-throw line, but the Longhorns’ sharp shooting built a 27–13 lead midway through the half. Keyshawn Hall was held to just two points early, though Auburn’s 9–2 turnover advantage helped cut the deficit to under ten. Hall added a four-point play just before halftime, but a last-second foul by Tahaad Pettiford left Auburn trailing 42–34.
"Offensively, in the first half, we were really not sloppy, but we didn’t execute well," Steven Pearl said. "Our spacing was really bad, and they did a really good job early of plugging gaps and doing a good job of guarding without fouling at the rim. It led to us taking some really tough contested twos, and we were looking for whistles, instead of just going to score through contact.
Keyshawn Hall, Auburn mount second-half comeback
The Tigers came alive in the second half, with Hall scoring eight quick points in a 7–0 run to bring the deficit to four. Auburn’s tightened defense and timely three-pointers from Kevin Overton, along with a mid-range fadeaway from Elyjah Freeman, tied the game at 52. Freeman’s putback at 11:30 gave Auburn a one-point lead, and the rest of the half featured a physical back-and-forth battle. Overton’s third three of the period gave Auburn a three-point lead—their largest of the night—before Keshawn Murphy’s clutch three extended the lead to six with five minutes remaining. Free throws from Hall helped Auburn build a 10-point advantage, ultimately sealing an 88–82 comeback win.
Auburn’s second-half surge featured 68.4% shooting from the field and 78.6% from the free-throw line. Hall scored 25 of his 31 points in the half, while Overton added 17, including three threes. Freeman and Murphy contributed key scoring and rebounds off the bench, and Auburn’s defense generated 18 points off turnovers. The Tigers’ balanced attack and Hall’s dominant performance fueled the victory.
After the comeback win, Auburn looks to extend their four-game win streak at Tennessee on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Central.