Auburn basketball pulls off miracle comeback win vs. Iowa State
Yesterday at 11:57 PM
Auburn basketball is taking advantage of its Maui trip before Thanksgiving. The Tigers are stuffing their pre-turkey day plate with upsets. But their Monday win over Iowa State came in dramatic, comeback fashion.
Facing the No. 5 team in the nation, plus facing a Cyclones team they were favored to beat by 3.5-points, Auburn found itself down by 18. The Tigers, however, got a second-chance putback to fall through the net with 1.2 seconds left, lifting them to the 83-81 victory at the Maui Invitational.
Johni Broome became the Tiger who was Johnny-on-the-spot in the closing seconds. Denver Jones cut through the paint to attempt the layup. Broome extended his right arm just enough to tip the loose basketball in the hoop.
NO. 4 AUBURN COMPLETES THE 18-PT COMEBACK AGAINST NO. 5 IOWA STATE
Auburn is the first team to have two AP top-5 wins in its first 5 games since 2001 pic.twitter.com/LVMHcjYW2g
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 26, 2024
Broome was greeted by a mob of Tigers teammates on the midcourt logo of the tournament. He led the night with 21 points and became one of five different Tigers reaching double figures. But his final basket came on a night Iowa State led 41-23.
Chad Baker-Mazara added 18 points. Tahaad Pettiford chipped in with 14 points off the bench. Jones and Miles Kelly added 12 points apiece for the now 5-0 Tigers.
Auburn comeback adds to early top 5 upsets for Tigers basketball
Auburn is more than an undefeated bunch. The Tigers are taking down top five programs to start the season. Even before the miracle comeback win.
The Tigers faced No. 4 Houston for their second game of the season. The underdog Tigers erased an early 33-28 halftime deficit to win 74-69. Head coach Bruce Pearl saw his team outscore the Cougars 46-36 in the second half to pull the top five upset. That game even came with a plane altercation due to what was described as “horseplay” among Auburn players. Freshman Jahki Howard and senior Ja’Heim Hudson ended up not traveling with Auburn for the following game.
Auburn looks bound to shoot up the national rankings following the epic closing finish against the Cyclones. Ranked teams are officially unsafe facing the Tigers.
After the Maui Invitational, the Tigers will face No. 11 Duke on the road. The Tigers’ gauntlet also features games against No. 13 Purdue, No. 25 Mississippi State, No. 7 Tennessee, plus two more top 10 programs in No. 8 Kentucky and No. 9 Alabama.
Auburn is looking to redeem itself from last season’s first round exit in the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers fell 78-76 to Yale to open March Madness last year. Pearl’s Tigers teams haven’t advanced to the NCAA Final Four since the 2018-19 season.
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