HOUSTON — Tahaad Pettiford had 21 points, including five 3-pointers, Johni Broome added 20 points and nine rebounds and No. 11 Auburn beat No. 4 Houston 74-69 on Saturday night.
The victory came one day after the Tigers’ flight to Houston had to be grounded shortly after takeoff because of a scuffle involving two players. Auburn coach Bruce Pearl did not address the situation after Saturday’s game.
The incident involving reserves Jahki Howard and Ja’Heim Hudson was over before it escalated into anything serious, sources told ESPN’s Jeff Borzello, but flight personnel opted to turn around the plane. The replacement flight took off for Houston late Friday night, according to sources.
Sources told Borzello that Howard and Hudson did not travel with the team.
Chaney Johnson had 11 points and 10 rebounds for Auburn (2-0). In the second half, Broome scored 16 points and Pettiford had 15.
L.J. Cryer and Emanuel Sharp each had 13 points for Houston (1-1), J’Wan Roberts had 12 points and seven rebounds, and Joseph Tugler and Milos Uzan each scored 10.
After Houston regained the lead at 67-66 on a 3-pointer by Sharp with 2:14 remaining, Chad Baker-Mazara hit a jumper for Auburn. The Cougars then turned it over the next time down the court and Baker-Mazara hit two free throws to give the Tigers a three-point lead with 49 seconds left.
Cryer missed a jumper with 33 seconds left, and Denver Jones stole the rebound. Jones was fouled and hit two free throws to extend the lead to 72-67 with 22 seconds left.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.