Auburn Holds Off Late Texas Rally, Pearl Sets Program Record

Auburn got the job done against Texas on the road, earning Bruce Pearl’s 214th win

Auburn Tigers head coach Bruce Pearl is now the winningest coach in program history with the win over Texas / Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Despite nearly blowing a 21-point lead, the No. 2 Auburn Tigers came out on top against Texas in the first meeting of the teams since 1955, winning 87-82 in its first road matchup of conference play at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas.

This was head coach Bruce Pearl’s 214th win, making him the winningest coach in program history in front of Joel Eaves.

“If I said that’s what I wanted to do, I meant it,” Pearl said. “I want to reward Auburn for giving me the opportunity. I go to work every day trying to reward Auburn for giving me the chance to be their basketball coach and be a part of this Auburn family. I mean it from the bottom of my heart.

“Joel Eaves, Sonny Smith, Coach Ellis. Bruce Pearl. I’ll roll with that crowd all day every day. The kids were excited about it. I have confidence in them and over a period of time, their confidence builds in us. I don’t think we panicked late. We’ve got a lot to learn from. The kids were happy for me.”

All-Time Winningest Coach in Auburn Men’s Basketball History: Head Coach Bruce Pearl.#WarEagle pic.twitter.com/cLoAFIgWMb

— Auburn Basketball (@AuburnMBB) January 8, 2025

Texas (11-4, 0-2 SEC) made a push late in the second half, cutting Auburn’s (13-1, 2-0 SEC) lead from 21 with 12:57 left in the game down to three with 0:11 on the clock. A flagrant one foul for a hook-and-hold on Texas’ Tre Johnson could have put a stop to the Longhorns’ final stand, but a technical foul on Broome allowed them to hang around until the final buzzer.

The Longhorns’ defense played a significant role in their ability to climb out of the hole they had dug for themselves, as they held Auburn to two points while scoring nine in a stretch within the final 1:23 of the game.

Chad Baker-Mazara helped the Tigers hold off the Longhorns by scoring seven points in the final 10 minutes of the game.

Auburn was led to victory by Johni Broome and Miles Kelly. Broome had 20 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, three blocks and two steals. Kelly had 18 points and shot 4-of-6 from 3-point range. Three other Tigers put up double-figures: Baker-Mazara had 16 points and Denver Jones and Tahaad Pettiford each added 10.

“It was a gritty win,” said Kelly, who was 4-for-6 on 3-pointers. “We made it interesting at the end. It’s all about maturity. We have 10 seniors so we have some guys who have been through some adversity.”

Despite getting the job done, the Tigers did not have an answer for Texas forward Arthur Kaluma who led all scorers with 34 points – setting his career record – and added eight rebounds and two blocks.

“It got to be a one-possession game. It’s a 40-minute game. Texas didn’t go anywhere,” Pearl said. “We had to make some plays. Chad Baker made some big plays down the stretch offensively.”

The Tigers had one of their best shooting nights of the season, finishing 47.5% from the field, 38.1% from 3-point range and 84% from the free-throw line. Additionally, it was quite the block party for Auburn who posted 10 to Texas’ four. Baker-Mazara, Jones and Chaney Johnson had two apiece in addition to Broome’s three.

“Look around the league,” Pearl said. “It’s tough to win on the road. I’m ready to go on to South Carolina. Let’s go.”

Auburn returns to action on Saturday when it takes on South Carolina on the road. Tipoff is set for noon CT and SEC Network will carry the television broadcast.

TEXAS POSTGAME NOTES

• Auburn leads Texas 2-1 all-time after the Tigers won the first meeting between the two teams as SEC foes and the first game at Texas in series history on Tuesday night.

• The win is Bruce Pearl’s 214th victory in his 11 seasons as Auburn head coach, passing Joel Eaves, who won 213 games leading the Tigers for 14 seasons from 1949-50 through 1962-63, for the most wins in program history.

• Pearl is 3-1 against Texas in his head coaching career with the three previous meetings coming while he was at Tennessee. Tuesday night’s game was the first meeting between Pearl and third-year Longhorn head coach Rodney Terry.

• Auburn has opened the season 14-1 or better for the eighth time in program history and the fourth time over the last eight seasons.

• Auburn has started SEC play 2-0 for the 26th time in program history and the fifth time in the last eight seasons, including 10-0 in 2022, 5-0 in 2024, 4-0 in 2018 and 3-0 in 2020.

• Auburn improved to 2-0 in the state of Texas this season after the Tigers defeated No. 4 Houston 74-69 in the Toyota Center in Houston on Nov. 9.

• Auburn has won seven straight games for the second time this season after the Tigers won their first seven games of the season.

• The win is Auburn’s seventh win away from home this season and the Tigers’ first true road win of the year.

• Auburn went 21-of-25 from the foul line, including 20-of-24 in the second half. The Tigers’ 21 made free throws tied a season high from the Georgia State and Monmouth games.

• Auburn blocked 10 shots, which is the second-most blocked shots for the Tigers this season, only behind the 13 blocks they had against Ohio State.

• Johni Broome led five players in double figures for Auburn with his 70th career double-double, scoring 20 points and grabbing 12 rebounds to go with five assists, three blocks and two steals. It is Broome’s 10th 20-point game of the season, including both SEC games, and his fourth game of at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.

• Miles Kelly scored 18 points on 4-of-6 shooting from long range, including 13 points on 3-of-3 shooting from deep in the first half. He added three rebounds and one assist in the win. It is Kelly’s fourth game with at least four 3-pointers and his seventh game in double figures this season.

• Chad Baker-Mazara scored all 16 of his points in the second half. Baker-Mazara finished 4-of-6 from the floor, 1-of-2 from 3-point range and 7-of-8 from the foul line. His school record streak of consecutive free throws ended at 51.

• Denver Jones and Tahaad Pettiford each scored 10 points on the night. It is Jones’ 12th game in double figures this season, including six of the last seven games. He has scored 10 points in the first two SEC games and has 11 assists and three turnovers in the first two league games after recording four assists and only one turnover at Texas. He also had two rebounds and two blocks against the Longhorns.

• Pettiford also scored 10 points for the second straight SEC game after he went 3-of-7 from the floor, including 1-of-2 from long range, and 3-of-3 from the foul line, and he added three rebounds and a steal at Texas. The freshman has scored in double figures in eight of his first 15 career games, including all five games against ranked opponents and both SEC games.