Tahaad Pettiford scored 24 points and No. 21 Auburn used a 10-0 run late in the second half to take control in an 84-73 win over Oregon on Monday in the first game of the Players Era men’s championship for both teams at Las Vegas.
The Tigers (5-1) took advantage of 18 Ducks turnovers and turned what was a close game into a more comfortable outing down the stretch. The game had 13 lead changes and seven ties until Auburn tool control.
Keyshawn Hall, the Tigers’ leading scorer, had 18 points and six rebounds in his return from a foot sprain that kept him out for one game. He played 36 minutes.
Takai Simpkins led Oregon (4-1) with 22 points, making 5 of 8 3-point attempts. However, Oregon’s two top scorers, Nate Bittle and Jackson Shelstad, were held to 10 and nine points, respectively.
Oregon led five times in the second half, never by more than a single point. The Ducks went ahead 59-58 with 10:49 to go after a steal and layup by Kwame Evans Jr. (11 points). But Auburn seized the momentum quickly with 10 unanswered points and never trailed again.
Elyjah Freeman’s steal and layup with 6:26 to play gave the Tigers a 68-59 edge. The Ducks got as close as five points down after that, but Hall soon knocked down a 3-pointer that extended the lead to 77-67 at the 2:34 mark.
The Ducks couldn’t recover. The Tigers sealed the win when Kevin Overton stole the ball from Shelstad, then took off in the open court for an emphatic dunk with 25 seconds left.
The teams played to a 37-37 tie in the first half after the Ducks held their largest lead of the game at 21-17. Auburn went ahead 35-29, but Bittle knocked down a 3-pointer to force the tie entering the break.
