No. 20 Auburn escapes in OT to win Pearl's coaching debut

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Keyshawn Hall scored seven of his 28 points in overtime to lead No. 20 Auburn to a 95-90 victory against Bethune-Cookman in Steven Pearl's coaching debut Monday night.

The Tigers led 81-78 in regulation when Elyjah Freeman fouled Arterio Morris on a half-court heave just before the buzzer. Morris knocked down all three free throws to send the game into overtime. Hall took over from there.

KeShawn Murphy added 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists for the Tigers. The 6-foot-10 transfer from Mississippi State has been dealing with a knee injury but gave Auburn some much-needed size against the Wildcats.

Auburn has now won 61 consecutive games against non-conference opponents.

Quentin Heady led Bethune-Cookman with 21 points. He also had three rebounds and three assists. Morris finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Morris spent last season at South Plains College. He also had stints at Kansas and Texas.

Bethune-Cookman dropped to 0-29 all time against ranked teams.

It was a back-and-forth first half in which no team led by more than five. The Tigers found a lot of opportunities from the free-throw line in the first half but failed to capitalize.

The game featured 31 lead changes and a disparity at the free-throw line. Auburn made 27 of 38 from the charity stripe; Bethune-Cookman was 8 of 9.

Pearl replaced his retiring father, Bruce, in late September. The elder Pearl spent 11 seasons on the Plains and led the Tigers to the No. 1 overall seed in last seasons’ NCAA Tournament and a Final Four appearance. However, his son's debut came with a scare.

Up next

Bethune-Cookman plays at Miami on Thursday.

Auburn hosts Merrimack on Thursday.

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