No. 21 Auburn comes from behind with 2nd-half surge to knock off No. 14 St. John's, 85-74
AP
Nov 26, 2025
LAS VEGAS (AP) Tahaad Pettiford scored 27 points and No. 21 Auburn Tigers defeated No. 14 St. John’s 85-74 on Wednesday in the consolation round of the Players Era Championship.
After falling behind by 11 points, Auburn (6-2) outscored St. John’s 55-35 in the second half - including a 30-13 run over the final nine minutes. Pettiford scored 16 points during that stretch.
Keyshawn Hall had 20 points and eight rebounds for the Tigers, and Kevin Overton scored 12. Auburn shot 55% from the field, including 6 of 14 (43%) from 3-point range.
Auburn, which went 2-1 in the tournament, improved to 1-2 against Top 25 teams this season, after losses to Houston and Michigan.
St. John’s (4-3), which finished 1-2 in the event, was led by Big East preseason player of the year Zuby Ejiofor, who had 24 points. Joson Sanon finished with 16, but Bryce Hopkins was held to nine on 2-for-11 shooting and Oziyah Sellers managed just four on 1-for-7 shooting. Those two combined to go 1 of 10 from beyond the arc.
The Red Storm shot 7 for 25 (28%) from long distance and 38% from the floor overall as they dropped to 0-3 against ranked teams this season.
The Johnnies came in with the eighth-best scoring offense in the country, averaging 95.3 points per game after scoring 82 or more in each of their first six. But they found themselves in a defensive tussle with a scrappy Tigers team looking to avenge Tuesday’s 102-72 blowout loss to Michigan.
St. John's Red Storm closed the first half with an 11-2 surge over the final 3:24 to take a 39-30 lead into halftime. The Tigers, however, opened the second half with an 11-3 spurt of their own to swing the momentum.
St. John's: Will host Mississippi at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 6.
Auburn: Will host No. 23 North Carolina State next Wednesday.
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1st Half
SJU
Red Storm
39
AUB
Tigers
30
Time
Team
Play
Score
20:00
(Red Storm gains possession)
19:56
+2
Bryce Hopkins makes two point layup
2-0
19:39
Elyjah Freeman turnover
19:28
Dylan Darling turnover (KeShawn Murphy steals)
19:06
Keyshawn Hall misses two point jump shot
19:04
Oziyah Sellers defensive rebound
18:59
Oziyah Sellers turnover (Tahaad Pettiford steals)
18:55
Oziyah Sellers personal foul
18:31
Zuby Ejiofor shooting foul (Kevin Overton draws the foul)
18:31
+1
Kevin Overton makes regular free throw 1 of 2
2-1
18:31
+1
Kevin Overton makes regular free throw 2 of 2
2-2
18:11
Oziyah Sellers misses three point jump shot
18:09
Zuby Ejiofor offensive rebound
18:08
KeShawn Murphy blocks Zuby Ejiofor's two point layup
18:06
KeShawn Murphy defensive rebound
17:48
Elyjah Freeman turnover (traveling)
17:27
Oziyah Sellers misses three point jump shot
17:25
Bryce Hopkins offensive rebound
17:22
Keyshawn Hall personal foul
17:20
Elyjah Freeman shooting foul (Zuby Ejiofor draws the foul)
17:20
+1
Zuby Ejiofor makes regular free throw 1 of 2
3-2
17:20
+1
Zuby Ejiofor makes regular free throw 2 of 2
4-2
17:03
Keyshawn Hall misses three point jump shot
17:01
Bryce Hopkins defensive rebound
16:56
Joson Sanon turnover (Kevin Overton steals)
16:43
KeShawn Murphy misses two point layup
16:41
Bryce Hopkins defensive rebound
16:35
Bryce Hopkins turnover (Tahaad Pettiford steals)
16:30
+3
Tahaad Pettiford makes three point jump shot
4-5
16:12
Keyshawn Hall blocks Bryce Hopkins's two point jump shot
16:10
Tahaad Pettiford defensive rebound
16:07
+2
Elyjah Freeman makes two point dunk (Tahaad Pettiford assists)
4-7
16:06
Red Storm 30 second timeout
16:06
TV timeout
15:44
Dillon Mitchell turnover (bad pass)
15:35
Ian Jackson personal foul
15:33
Keyshawn Hall misses two point jump shot
15:31
KeShawn Murphy offensive rebound
15:17
Tahaad Pettiford misses three point jump shot
15:15
KeShawn Murphy offensive rebound
15:14
KeShawn Murphy offensive foul
15:14
KeShawn Murphy turnover (offensive foul)
15:01
Dillon Mitchell misses two point layup
14:59
Keyshawn Hall defensive rebound
14:31
+2
Kevin Overton makes two point layup
4-9
14:11
+2
Zuby Ejiofor makes two point layup (Bryce Hopkins assists)
6-9
13:52
Kevin Overton misses two point jump shot
13:50
Zuby Ejiofor defensive rebound
13:42
Ian Jackson turnover (Elyjah Freeman steals)
13:29
Tahaad Pettiford misses three point jump shot
13:27
Ian Jackson defensive rebound
13:17
Oziyah Sellers misses three point jump shot
13:15
KeShawn Murphy defensive rebound
13:11
+2
Tahaad Pettiford makes two point layup
6-11
12:55
+2
Zuby Ejiofor makes two point hook shot
8-11
12:32
+2
KeShawn Murphy makes two point layup (Keyshawn Hall assists)
8-13
12:05
+2
Ian Jackson makes two point layup
10-13
11:44
+2
KeShawn Murphy makes two point hook shot (Kevin Overton assists)
10-15
11:31
Bryce Hopkins misses three point jump shot
11:29
Kevin Overton defensive rebound
11:15
+2
Tahaad Pettiford makes two point layup
10-17
10:57
Ian Jackson misses three point jump shot
10:55
Tahaad Pettiford defensive rebound
10:46
Elyjah Freeman turnover (traveling)
10:46
TV timeout
10:33
Bryce Hopkins misses two point jump shot
10:31
Bryce Hopkins offensive rebound
10:30
Sebastian Williams-Adams shooting foul
10:30
+1
Bryce Hopkins makes regular free throw 1 of 2
11-17
10:30
+1
Bryce Hopkins makes regular free throw 2 of 2
12-17
10:01
Sebastian Williams-Adams misses two point jump shot
9:59
Bryce Hopkins defensive rebound
9:53
Bryce Hopkins misses two point layup
9:51
Keyshawn Hall defensive rebound
9:43
Dillon Mitchell personal foul
9:37
Tahaad Pettiford turnover
9:19
+2
Zuby Ejiofor makes two point layup
14-17
8:51
+2
Kevin Overton makes two point layup (Tahaad Pettiford assists)