No. 1 seed Auburn defeated No. 2 Nevada on Wednesday, giving the Tigers a fifth-straight 20-win season and their first-ever trip to the semifinals of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT).
“Defensively, for the first 30 minutes, we did a lot of good things and made a lot of improvement,” said Auburn head coach Steven Pearl. “A lot of contributions. It’s not the tournament we want to be playing, but our guys have done a great job of using this platform and this opportunity to go out there and hoop. I’m really proud of them for that, and it’s something we can build on.”
Filip Jovic tallied 18 points on a 9-of-18 clip from the floor and hauled in nine rebounds – one shy of his second double-double of the season.
“I listen to my coaches, I understand everything,” Jovic said. “In the first half, they didn’t double me, and I looked to make the right play. In the second half, they doubled me, and I made the right plays for my teammates.”
Tahaad Pettiford poured in 16 points for the Tigers with a game-high six assists.
“That’s why we’re here. Our goal is to win it all, so that’s what we’re here to do,” Pettiford said. “Going to get ready to go to Indiana and finish business. I’m happy to play every single day with these guys, and I can’t wait to go play another game with them.”
Elyjah Freeman scored 15 points – 11 in the second half and eight over the final four minutes – while Keyshawn Hall tallied 14 points with six boards.
With Auburn ahead by 12 at the break, Jovic scored two quick baskets coming out to put Auburn ahead by 15.
Nevada pulled within eight after a 7-0 run, but Auburn answered once more to push ahead by 13 coming out of the under-16 timeout.
The Wolfpack fought back once more with another 7-0 run and a 14-5 extended run to trim the deficit to six with under five minutes to play.
Nevada continued to pour it on from distance, nailing a pair of treys down the stretch, but Freeman scored eight points in the final four minutes to help Auburn stay afloat and stretch its nations-best non-conference home winning streak to 67.
“He’s been great,” Pearl said of Freeman. “I loved a lot of the aggressive drives he makes. He did a great job late of getting to the rim and finishing. I’m proud of him for continuing to step up and show what he’s capable of.”
The Tigers used strong defense in the first half to hold a 12-point lead at the break.
With a 16-8 lead after the under-16, Auburn missed seven straight shots, but held Nevada to a 2-of-13 mark from deep in the half and just 36% from the field to alleviate the damage.
Nevada’s Elijah Price logged a double-double totaling 22 points and 11 rebounds.
Auburn will play Illinois State next Thursday at 8:30 p.m. CT at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. TG
