Keyshawn Hall finished with 22 points, 11 rebounds and six assists to lead Auburn to a 92-78 victory over Chattanooga on Saturday night at Holiday Hoopsgiving in Atlanta.
Hall’s fifth double-double of the season helped the No. 21 Tigers (8-3) bounce back from a loss last Saturday at then-No. 2 Arizona.
Jordan Frison continued to pace Chattanooga (5-6) in scoring with 20 points and also had six assists and four rebounds. But it wasn’t enough to score the Mocs a signature win in what was their first game against a ranked opponent in coach Dan Earl’s tenure, which began with the 2022-23 season.
Chattanooga never led, but hung tough throughout, trailing 84-76 with 1:03 remaining in the game. But Tahaad Pettiford scored the Tigers’ final eight points on a pair of free throws and two clutch threes to help Auburn pull away.
Pettiford added 20 points for the Tigers, making 5 of 9 3-pointers.
Hall was mostly sharp at the free throw line as well, connecting on 11 of 14 shots from the foul line.
Chattanooga’s defense, which recorded 10 steals, helped keep it in the game.
Teddy Washington Jr. spearheaded that effort with five steals and was strong on the offensive end as well with 16 points.
Auburn, which had three players score in double figures, led by as many as 16 with 9:41 left in the second half.
But the Mocs answered with a 7-0 run to keep the Tigers from turning the game into a rout.
Auburn’s size helped get multiple Chattanooga players in foul trouble. Billy Smith finished with 14 points but fouled out, as did Brennan Watkins (seven points).
Auburn’s size also contributed to a major rebounding advantage (42-20), including a 14-4 advantage on the offensive glass which led to a 16-7 edge in second chance points.
Elyjah Freeman also played a big role in helping the Tigers control the boards as he finished with seven rebounds to go along with 19 points.
