Auburn gathers in front of Michigan in the 2nd half – the County Orange register

By Paul Newberry The Associated Press

Atlanta – With the Auburn season on the Brink, Tahaad Pettiford and Denver Jones have suddenly become unstoppable.

On the Elite Eight for the Global Sear Age of the NCAA Tournament.

Petitford and Jones scored 20 points each to lead a second half’s dam which joined the Tigers to a 78-65 victory against Michigan in Sweet 16 Friday evening.

The Tigers (31-5) wiped out a deficit of nine points, upgrading the seeded n ° 5 of Michigan 39-17 in the last 12 minutes to go to the elite eight of the NCAA tournament for the third time in the history of the school. They also became the fourth team of the Southeast Conference this year to reach a regional final, the SEC joining ACC (2016) and Big East (2009) as the only leagues to do so.

“Just the children’s will to win,” said Auburn coach Bruce Pearl. “Denver has warmed up. Tahaad healed. We went to them and they delivered. ”

Auburn will face the state of Michigan on Sunday in the final of the southern region, with a trip in the end online. The Spartans, the second seeded, retained the seeded n ° 6 of the Mississippi, 73-70, in the first match of the night in Atlanta.

Johni Broome scored 22 points to accompany 16 rebounds, but it was Pettiford, a first -year student, and Jones, an elder, who took control when Auburn needed the most.

The Wolverines (27-10) built their greatest advance, 49-38, and seemed to be heading towards their most unlikely performance to date during a remarkable return season under the first year of the first year coach, Dusty May.

But Pettiford triggered the return with a steeple-back jumping jumping beyond the 3-point line, Jones overturned two long-term before scoring a trip to the hoop, and Pettiford finished the Michigan with two breathtaking shots: a trey after having briefly perverse the ball, but after being released by a three-point game when he was flat on his back after being flat on his back Disgusted.

“I saw one enter and I just saw the basket more and more,” said Jones. “So I continued to shoot.”

Danny Wolf led Michigan with 20 points, but no one else on the Wolverines has succeeded in 10.

However, the champion of the Big Ten Wolverines tournament had many reasons to be proud after having bounced out of a debacle of 8 to 24 a year ago which established a school record for losses in a season and led to the dismissal of the former star Fab Five Juwan Howard.

“They left an inheritance,” said May. “They have established an identity. They should be very, very proud of their work.”

The first half was played at a frantic but sloppy pace, the two teams tormented by reversals and fighting to hit fire.

A sequence embodies the 20 minutes of opening. Tre Donaldson threw the ball with a lazy allowance, but Auburn handed it off immediately when the unnecessary effort by Chad Baker-Mazara was removed by Roddy Gayle Jr. The Wolverines withdrew the boundary path. In just nine seconds, the teams combined for three reversals.

Auburn led 30-29 at halftime despite only 12 of the 37 shots (32.4%) on the field, including a 3 of the 16 arc behind the arc, to accompany 10 reversals. The tigers have given themselves many and third chances, and even a fourth in a possession. They finished with 48-33 Edge on the boards, including 19 rebounds in the offensive.

Broome and the rest of the Auburn’s area before resisted very well against the two 7 feet of Michigan, Wolf and Vladislav Goldin.

“We took the personal game,” said Broome. “It’s an excellent front line, but we wanted to challenge ourselves to make things difficult for them.”

HOME SWEET HOME

It looked a bit like a home game in Auburn with the Tigers playing only 110 miles from their campus just through the state line in eastern Alabama.

The crowd, largely dressed in orange and blue, burst into a “Come on Auburn!” Song shortly after the Tipoff at State Farm Arena. They really broke out when the tigers rallied in the second half.

“It obviously helped to raise their game,” said Pearl. “If you are the seeded n ° 1, you should be able to play near you so that fans can see it.”

It really looked like a game on the Wolverines road, which was acclaimed by a much smaller contingent.

“Obviously, in the second half, they hit a few shots and the crowd broke out,” said Wolf. “It was a huge momentum.”

Take -out

Auburn: The Tigers lost during their first trip to the Elite Eight in 1986. They reached their only Final Four in 2019, when a setback from the possible Virginia champion ended his season. … Pearl did not like a particular line on the statistics sheet Friday evening – 15 reversals. “If Michigan can give us back more than 15 times, Michigan State could return to us 25 times,” he said. “It’s a concern.”

Michigan: Golddin was held at 10 points on 2 shots out of 9. He also directed the Wolverines with nine rebounds. … Nimari Burnett also scored 10 points. … Michigan only pulled 35.6% in the field (21 for 59), including 5 for 17 on a beach of 3 points. … The Wolverines only collected six assists, against 15 for Auburn.