INDIANAPOLIS — Auburn men’s basketball spent the past month on a five-game rampage through the NIT, expelling its frustrations after being excluded from the NCAA Tournament field.
First-year coach Steven Pearl credited his players’ continued fight since Selection Sunday, and they demonstrated that tenacity once more in Sunday’s NIT championship game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
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The top-seeded Tigers watched helplessly as their 21-point lead over Tulsa evaporated in the second half. They could have easily folded, but instead stood in with their opponent, staying within a possession or two until the final minute of regulation. Elyjah Freeman sank a free throw to make it a 3-point game with eight seconds left, a five-second violation got the ball back for Auburn and Kevin Overton sent the game to overtime with a 3-pointer with eight seconds remaining.
The Tigers (22-16) controlled the extra period and completed their postseason run with a 92-86 win over the Golden Hurricane.
It’s Auburn’s first NIT championship in program history.
Overton finished with a game-high 26 points. Teammate Tahaad Pettiford added 24.
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David Green and Tylen Riley paced Tulsa (30-8) with 25 and 20 points, respectively.
Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Tulsa vs Auburn score, NIT championship, Tahaad Pettiford game stats
