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Auburn basketball took out Creighton in Saturday's second round March Madness game, 82-70, which was a refreshing sight to see for Auburn coaches and fans.
Auburn entered Saturday's game winning just two of its last five games and failing to play with as much energy as it had for most of the season. Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl challenged his team to find its spark during Friday's practice, which paid off as Pearl told reporters that his team played like the No. 1 team in the nation on Saturday.
"We talked a little bit about game one and not giving the kind of effort and energy that was required and, you know, not really trusting one another, sharing it, and the sacrifices that need to be made. Tonight we put all that behind us and the guys did a phenomenal job on both ends of the floor," Pearl said postgame.
Auburn freshman Tahaad Pettiford played lights out on Saturday by scoring a team-leading 23 points with six rebounds and three assists. His performance was vital to Auburn's success, but many other factors led the Tigers to a Sweet 16 berth.
Here are five key stats that defined Auburn's NCAA Tournament win over Creighton on Saturday.
Auburn's struggles at the free throw line have headlined their recent struggles. Prior to the NCAA Tournament second round game with Creighton, Auburn failed to connect on at least 70% of its free throw tries in four-straight games. Auburn hopped off the saddle Saturday by connecting on 71% of its tries, outshowing Creighton who shot 62% from the stripe.
Denver Jones was a perfect 3-for-3 from the free throw line while Tahaad Pettiford shot 87% (7-of-8) and Chad Baker-Mazara shot 75% (3-of-4).
On paper, Auburn held a clear depth advantage over Creighton heading into the game. Auburn outscored Creighton, 31-10, in bench points on Saturday led by Tahaad Pettiford's massive 23-point day. Chaney Johnson followed suit by scoring eight points by going 4-for-6 from the field. Fedor Zugic carried the load for Creighton by scoring all 10 bench points with two rebounds and three assists. Seven players came off the bench for Creighton, but only Frederick King (one rebound) and Isaac Traudt (one assists) supported Zugic in bench production.
Auburn out-rebounded Creighton, 37-27, which included an impressive 11-4 advantage on offense. The Tigers made the most of their free opportunities by scoring 19 second-chance points compared to the Blue Jays' four.
Although he did not have the best night scoring, Johni Broome led the team with five offensive boards as part of his 12-rebound performance.
Auburn's Chad Baker-Mazara connected on a free throw with 14:03 remaining in the game to push Auburn ahead, 51-50. From that moment on, Auburn refused to yield the lead back to Creighton and would outscore the Blue Jays, 31-20 over that time frame to secure the win.
Associate head coach Steven Pearl criticized star players Johni Broome and Chad Baker-Mazara after Thursday's NCAA Tournament opener over Alabama State due to lack of effort. Baker-Mazara responded by scoring 17 points with two rebounds and one assist. Baker-Mazara was limited to just 21 minutes of action due to an injury, but he exited the game by leading all Tiger starters in points.
This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Auburn basketball Creighton March Madness key stats
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Auburn entered Saturday's game winning just two of its last five games and failing to play with as much energy as it had for most of the season. Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl challenged his team to find its spark during Friday's practice, which paid off as Pearl told reporters that his team played like the No. 1 team in the nation on Saturday.
"We talked a little bit about game one and not giving the kind of effort and energy that was required and, you know, not really trusting one another, sharing it, and the sacrifices that need to be made. Tonight we put all that behind us and the guys did a phenomenal job on both ends of the floor," Pearl said postgame.
Auburn freshman Tahaad Pettiford played lights out on Saturday by scoring a team-leading 23 points with six rebounds and three assists. His performance was vital to Auburn's success, but many other factors led the Tigers to a Sweet 16 berth.
Here are five key stats that defined Auburn's NCAA Tournament win over Creighton on Saturday.
Auburn wins the free throw battle
Auburn's struggles at the free throw line have headlined their recent struggles. Prior to the NCAA Tournament second round game with Creighton, Auburn failed to connect on at least 70% of its free throw tries in four-straight games. Auburn hopped off the saddle Saturday by connecting on 71% of its tries, outshowing Creighton who shot 62% from the stripe.
Denver Jones was a perfect 3-for-3 from the free throw line while Tahaad Pettiford shot 87% (7-of-8) and Chad Baker-Mazara shot 75% (3-of-4).
Bench play is key
On paper, Auburn held a clear depth advantage over Creighton heading into the game. Auburn outscored Creighton, 31-10, in bench points on Saturday led by Tahaad Pettiford's massive 23-point day. Chaney Johnson followed suit by scoring eight points by going 4-for-6 from the field. Fedor Zugic carried the load for Creighton by scoring all 10 bench points with two rebounds and three assists. Seven players came off the bench for Creighton, but only Frederick King (one rebound) and Isaac Traudt (one assists) supported Zugic in bench production.
Auburn made the most of second opportunities
Auburn out-rebounded Creighton, 37-27, which included an impressive 11-4 advantage on offense. The Tigers made the most of their free opportunities by scoring 19 second-chance points compared to the Blue Jays' four.
Although he did not have the best night scoring, Johni Broome led the team with five offensive boards as part of his 12-rebound performance.
Auburn seals win with plenty of time remaining
Auburn's Chad Baker-Mazara connected on a free throw with 14:03 remaining in the game to push Auburn ahead, 51-50. From that moment on, Auburn refused to yield the lead back to Creighton and would outscore the Blue Jays, 31-20 over that time frame to secure the win.
Chad Baker-Mazara answers the call
Associate head coach Steven Pearl criticized star players Johni Broome and Chad Baker-Mazara after Thursday's NCAA Tournament opener over Alabama State due to lack of effort. Baker-Mazara responded by scoring 17 points with two rebounds and one assist. Baker-Mazara was limited to just 21 minutes of action due to an injury, but he exited the game by leading all Tiger starters in points.
This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Auburn basketball Creighton March Madness key stats
Continue reading...
