Auburn flipped the script on Wednesday night.
After a sluggish first half that saw them trailing by double digits, the Tigers stormed back behind a second-half offensive explosion and some timely defense to knock off Texas, 88-82, inside a rocking Neville Arena. It was Auburn’s fourth straight win and a gritty comeback that showcased both resilience and firepower.
Let’s break down how the Tigers turned a 14-point hole into a statement SEC victory.
Texas starts hot from deep, but Auburn hangs around
Early on, it looked like Texas might run away with this one. The Longhorns came out firing and couldn’t miss from beyond the arc, drilling eight three-pointers in the first half and shooting a blistering 57% from the field. Dailyn Swain was especially sharp, putting up 17 points before the break while missing just one shot.
Auburn, on the other hand, struggled to find its rhythm. The Tigers shot just 39% in the opening 20 minutes, and at one point found themselves down by 14.
But here’s where the game started to shift: Auburn’s defense quietly kept them in it. The Tigers forced nine Texas turnovers in the first half and turned those mistakes into 14 points the other way.
That defensive pressure, paired with a late first-half surge where Auburn hit six of its last eight shots, helped trim the deficit to just eight heading into the locker room.
Hall and Overton light it up to lead the comeback
The second half? That belonged to Keyshawn Hall and Kevin Overton.
Hall, Auburn’s leading scorer, put on a clinic once again. He finished with 31 points, getting to the line often and knocking down 14 free throws.
But it was the one-two punch with Overton that powered Auburn’s rally. Overton added 25 points of his own, and together the duo combined for 56 points and eight made threes-most of them coming during a furious second-half run.
Auburn came out of halftime red-hot, shooting 80% from the field to start the half and quickly erasing the Texas lead. The Tigers finally grabbed their first lead of the night with 11:32 left, thanks to a heads-up putback by Elyjah Freeman off a missed free throw. From there, it was a back-and-forth battle, with five ties and five lead changes down the stretch.
But every time Texas threatened to regain control, Hall or Overton had an answer.
Auburn’s defense seals it late
While the offense gets the headlines, Auburn’s defense deserves just as much credit for closing this one out.
After their red-hot start, the Longhorns cooled off considerably in the second half. Texas shot just 48.1% after halftime and managed only four threes the rest of the way. Auburn’s pressure never let up-the Tigers forced 11 turnovers overall and racked up eight steals, disrupting Texas’ rhythm just enough to tilt the game in their favor.
Swain finished with a game-high 30 points to go along with seven rebounds and four assists, but his effort wasn’t enough to overcome Auburn’s second-half surge. The Tigers, meanwhile, took care of the basketball all night, committing just three turnovers-an impressive number in a high-paced, back-and-forth contest.
What’s next
With the win, Auburn improves to 14-7 overall and 5-3 in SEC play. The Tigers are rolling, and they’ll look to keep that momentum going as they head to Knoxville for a tough road test against Tennessee this weekend.
If Hall and Overton keep playing like this-and if the defense keeps forcing mistakes-Auburn’s ceiling might be higher than we thought just a few weeks ago.