Auburn is coming off a heartbreaking loss to Texas A&M. Auburn led much of the game until Texas A&M took the lead with just 8:42 left in the game. Still, the Tigers made a comeback and hit a buzzer-beater to win the game, or so they thought. Texas A&M survived as the buzzer-beater was overturned. Now, Steven Pearl is speaking out about the controversial ending.
“I don't have a clear understanding of the reasoning behind it. We're gonna gather more information. From the angles I saw, it looked like the ball was out of his hands,” Pearl said after the game to the media, according to The Field of 68.
Auburn was down ten with under three minutes left in the game, and was still down eight with just 47 seconds left in the game. Still, Auburn made the comeback. With .6 seconds left in the game, Auburn would inbound the ball to KeShawn Murphy, who drilled a shot from well outside the three-point arch. This sent Auburn fans into a frenzy, as some started rushing the floor.
Officials began clearing the floor and went to the scorer's table to review the play. They decided the ball was in Murphy's hands as time expired, and the buzzer-beater was waived off.
“Everyone thinks the game’s over. Sure enough, they made a decision that it was on his fingertips. It’s devastating,” the Auburn coach continued about the call.
Auburn should not have been in the position to begin with, though. They allowed a 33-6 run early in the second half to fall behind. Part of the issue was an injury to Filip Jovic, who played just seven minutes in the game and did not return in the second half.
Now, Auburn needs to regroup for its next game.
“Are we going to pout about or are we going to get on to the next one,” Pearl said. “I’m proud of these kids. I’m incredibly proud of their grit and their fight.”
Peral and the Auburn Tigers will return to the floor on Saturday against No. 15 Arkansas.
