No. 20 Auburn Wins Overtime in Steven Pearl Coaching Debut

In Steven Pearl's debut as Auburn's head basketball coach, the No. 20 Tigers narrowly escaped with a 95-90 overtime victory against SWAC favorite Bethune-Cookman. Keyshawn Hall led Auburn with 28 points, including seven in overtime, while KeShawn Murphy contributed 17 points and eight rebounds despite managing a knee injury. The game was tightly contested, featuring 31 lead changes and a critical moment when Arterio Morris made three free throws to send the game into overtime. Bethune-Cookman, led by Quentin Heady's 21 points and Arterio Morris' double-double, shot impressively but ultimately fell short, marking their 0-29 record against ranked teams. Auburn, transitioning from Bruce Pearl to his son Steven as head coach, displayed early growing pains on defense but showed potential with contributions from newcomers like freshman Sebastian Williams-Adams. Despite the close call, Auburn extended its winning streak against nonconference opponents to 61 games, and Steven Pearl emphasized a patient but determined approach to building the team's future.