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Game recap, analysis: No. 4 Houston basketball loses to No. 11 Auburn

The battle between two of the best college basketball teams in the country lived up to the hype

Ben Sherman

Houston Cougars forward Joseph Tugler (11) controls the ball as Auburn Tigers forward Chaney Johnson (31) defends during the first half at Toyota Center.
Houston Cougars forward Joseph Tugler (11) controls the ball as Auburn Tigers forward Chaney Johnson (31) defends during the first half at Toyota Center. / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
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It's rare that an early-season college basketball game lives up to the hype, but that was the case on Saturday night in Houston.

The No. 11 Auburn Tigers rallied for a 74-69 victory over No. 4 Houston in a game that had a Final Four feel from the jump.

Auburn's national player of the year candidate Johni Broome had a huge game — 20 points, 9 rebounds, 5 blocks, 2 assists and 2 steals — but it was freshman Tahaad Pettiford who was the difference in the game. Pettiford scored a game-high 21 points off the bench, including 5-of-8 from the 3-point line.

Houston had five players in double figures, led by guards Emanuel Sharp and LJ Cryer with 13 points apiece. Cryer struggled down the stretch and shot just 5-of-14 from the field and 1-of-4 from the 3-point line. J'Wan Roberts finished with 12 points and 7 rebounds, and JoJo Tugler had 10 points and 6 rebounds.

Read our game recap below, with in-game analysis and big-play highlights.

Second Half Recap

Auburn Tigers forward Johni Broome (4) defends as Houston Cougars forward J'Wan Roberts (13) shoots the ball
Auburn Tigers forward Johni Broome (4) defends as Houston Cougars forward J'Wan Roberts (13) shoots the ball during the first half at Toyota Center. / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Auburn 74, Houston 69, final: Great ballgame. Auburn made shots down the stretch and Houston didn't.

Auburn 72, Houston 69, 8.6 seconds left: LJ Cryer has gone cold down the stretch.

Milos Uzan fouls out: Uzan goes to the bench for good with 49.5 seconds left and Houston trailing 68-67. He finished with 10 points and 4 assists.

Houston 67, Auburn 66, 2:00 left: Emanuel Sharp drills a 3-pointer to give Houston the lead with 2 minutes to play.

Auburn 66, Houston 64, 2:47 left: Milos Uzan is back in the game with four fouls, and he hits a pull-up 17-footer to cut Auburn's lead to two. Kelvin Sampson calls a quick timeout after the bucket to set his defense. Houston is struggling to contain Johni Broome, who now has 20 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocks.

Houston 60, Auburn 59, 4:29 to play: The teams are trading buckets down the stretch. Emanuel Sharp drills a 3-pointer for Houston and Tahaad Pettiford answers with one of his own for Auburn. Pettiford, a true freshman, now has 19 points on 5-of-8 from downtown.

Houston 51, Auburn 51, 6:55 to play: Game on. Auburn's Johni Broome now leads all scorers with 14 points. Houston guard Milos Uzan picked up his fourth foul and is on the bench. J'Wan Roberts is putting in work in the post for Houston. He has 12 points and 6 rebounds.

Houston 43, Auburn 40, 11:55 left: JoJo Tugler's nasty putback slam pushes Houston's lead back to three just before the under 12 timeout.

Houston 41, Auburn 38, 13:03 left: Here comes Johni Broome. Auburn's national player of the year candidate throws down a dunk and sparks a 6-0 run to pull Auburn within three points. Broome now has 10 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks.

Houston 39, Auburn 32, 15:42 left: Auburn's Chaney Johnson misses a wide-open dunk just before the under 16 timeout. Houston's LJ Cryer leads all scorers with 11 points.

Halftime Stats

Eight Houston players have scored, led by LJ Cryer with 7 points and Milos Uzan with 6 points. The Cougars were 3-of-6 from downtown and shot 40% from the field in the first half. They outrebounded Auburn 20-16.

Chaney Johnson led Auburn with 9 points off the bench. The Tigers went 3-of-13 from downtown and shot 47.8% from the field.

First Half Recap

Houston 33, Auburn 28, halftime: What a half, Terrance Arceneaux hits a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Houston a five-point halftime lead.

Auburn 26, Houston 24, 3:41 left: This is a street fight. Houston counterpunches by finally hitting a couple of 3-pointers, including one from LJ Cryer who now has 7 points. Auburn's length is causing all kinds of problems for the Cougars. The Tigers already have four blocked shots.

Auburn 19, Houston 12: 7:36 left: The Tigers go on a run to take a 7-point lead. Chaney Johnson leads all scorers with 7 points off the bench for Auburn.

Houston 10, Auburn 9, 11:44 left: Milos Uzan leads all scorers with 6 points in a defensive slugfest.

Houston 6, Auburn 4: 15:00 left: First team to 30 wins? The two best defensive teams in the nation are flexing their muscles early. Good to see Ja'Vier Francis back in the lineup.

Ja'Vier Francis officially in the starting lineup for Houston tonight.

Pregame Updates

We'll see how many fans show up in the Toyota Center. The capacity is 19,000.

More Houston & Big 12 Analysis

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Ben Sherman
BEN SHERMAN

Ben Sherman has been covering the sports world for most of his journalism career, including 17 years with The Oregonian/OregonLive. One of his favorite memories was covering the 1999 Fiesta Bowl - the first BCS National Championship Game - at Sun Devil Stadium.

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