ATLANTA – An elite second-half comeback propelled No. 1 overall seed Auburn to a 78-65 win over No. 5 Michigan Friday at State Farm Arena, advancing the Tigers to the Elite Eight while setting a program record with 31 victories.
“That was like Neville Arena!” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl shouted as he left the floor, thanking Auburn fans for giving the Tigers what amounted to a home-court advantage.
“We went on a 34-8 run in the second half, and it’s just the kids’ will to win,” Pearl said. “They locked down defensively. Great win for Auburn. Four teams from the SEC in the Elite Eight. That’s pretty good.”
All-American Johni Broome scored 22 points and grabbed 16 rebounds to lead Auburn to within three wins of a national championship.
“Every day I step on the court, I want to give my all for my teammates,” Broome said. “I did what I had to do to help my team win, whether that’s offensively or defensively.”
Tahaad Pettiford and Denver Jones each scored 20 points to help the Tigers overcome a nine-point second half deficit.
“They got really heated up,” Pearl said. “Denver got heated up. Tahaad got heated up. We went to them, and they delivered.”
With Auburn leading by one after a first-half double-double, Broome continued to deliver in the second half, scoring the Tigers’ first nine points.
Danny Wolf, who led Michigan with 20 points, matched Broome with nine points of his own in the first seven minutes, helping the Wolverines take a nine-point lead while Auburn continued to struggle with turnovers and missed 3-pointers.
Pettiford ended Michigan’s 6-0 run with Auburn’s first 3-pointer of the second half, pulling the Tigers within six.
“I felt the momentum shift our way,” Pettiford said of his clutch shot with 12:11 to play.
After a Wolverine turnover, Pettiford drove baseline and found Jones in the corner for a 3-pointer that pulled the Tigers within three.
Broome’s bank shot cut Michigan’s lead to one, then after the Tigers’ defense forced a stop, Pettiford gave Auburn a one-point lead with a baseline jumper on a possession that featured offensive rebounds from Broome and Dylan Cardwell.
“We knew what we had to do to win the game,” Jones said. “It was on the defensive end.”
The 10-0 run in 2 minutes and 18 seconds erased Michigan’s lead as shouts of “Let’s go Auburn!” cascaded through the arena.
“Amazing,” Pettiford said of the Auburn contingent. “Without them, we probably wouldn’t have had the energy we had. They brought a lot of energy, got loud for us. It was very helpful.”
“The fans gave us that extra juice,” Jones said. “We were already excited about us making a run. That made it feel like you had everyone behind you.”
Chad Baker-Mazara hit a pair of free throws to give the Tigers 12 consecutive points before the Wolverines ended the run with a layup.
Feeding off the crowd, Auburn continued to apply pressure, forcing turnovers and taking a 57-50 lead on back-to-back 3-pointers from Jones, who capped his personal 8-0 run with a bucket off the glass that gave Auburn a nine-point lead after a 20-2 run.
“Being aggressive,” said Jones, who made 4 of 7 3-point attempts while adding four rebounds and two assists. “The coaches called my name so I was looking for my shots. I saw the opening and knocked my shots down. That’s what got me going in the second half.”
“We went on a 20-2 run off our defense by getting stops,” Broome said.
Pettiford beat the shot-clock with a step-back 3-pointer that gave Auburn a 10-point lead.
The freshman continued to make clutch shots, drawing a foul on a fadeaway that put Auburn up by 13 with 4:35 to play.
“Trying to help the team however I could,” Pettiford said. “The coaches told me to go attack and do what I do best. That’s what I did.”
Cardwell grabbed nine rebounds to help the Tigers amass a commanding 48-33 rebounding advantage.
Broome needed only one half to log his 20th double-double of the season, extending his program record.
Auburn outrebounded Michigan 29-17 in the opening half, allowing the Tigers to overcome 10 first-half turnovers and 32.4-percent shooting.
Jones sparked Auburn early, getting the Tigers on the scoreboard with a second-chance 3-pointer after Cardwell’s offensive rebound.
After Broome hit a corner 3-pointer, Jones put the Tigers on top by three going behind his back in transition.
Chaney Johnson made a steal and found Miles Kelly in the corner for a 3-pointer that gave Auburn a 19-18 lead in a half that featured 10 lead changes.
Trailing by four with five minutes left in the half, the Tigers outscored the Wolverines 7-2 down the stretch, taking a 30-29 lead when Broome followed his missed shot with 34 seconds to play.
The SEC player of the year led Auburn with 10 points and 11 rebounds in the opening half.
Auburn (31-5) advances to play Michigan State Sunday at 4:05 p.m. CT in the South Regional final. The Spartans came from behind to defeat Ole Miss in Friday’s first semifinal at State Farm Arena.
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer
