Tahaad Pettiford scored 14 of his 26 points in the second half as Auburn pulled away from Appalachian State for a 75-53 victory Monday night, extending the nation’s longest active home nonconference winning streak to 69 games.
Pettiford recorded his sixth career performance with at least 26 points as the Tigers (2-0) overcame a late first-half rally from the Mountaineers (2-1).
Auburn raced to a 10-3 lead behind a 10-0 run, capped by a putback dunk from Narcisse Ngoy just before the first media timeout.
But Appalachian State responded after trailing by as many as 13 points in the opening half. The Mountaineers outscored Auburn 18-7 down the stretch and held the Tigers without a field goal over the final three minutes before halftime.
Eren Banks scored 19 points for Appalachian State, including three 3-pointers in the first half, as the Mountaineers trimmed the deficit to 38-36 at the break.
Pettiford, who scored 12 points in the opening half, helped Auburn regain control after halftime.
The Tigers used a 9-0 run, capped by two Pettiford free throws with 13:08 remaining, to extend their lead to 50-39. Auburn eventually pushed its advantage to 17 points, highlighted by a deep Pettiford 3-pointer that energized the home crowd.
Auburn received 34 points from its bench, including nine apiece from Kolby King and Adam Olsen.
The Tigers controlled the offensive glass, grabbing 16 offensive rebounds and converting them into 21 second-chance points. Auburn also held a 30-20 advantage in points in the paint.
Auburn shot 41 percent from the floor and 33.3 percent from 3-point range.
Defensively, the Tigers held Appalachian State to 32.1 percent shooting from the field and 25 percent from beyond the arc. The Mountaineers committed 11 turnovers, which Auburn converted into 15 points.
The victory improved Auburn’s record at Neville Arena to 188-68 since the facility opened in 2010.
