AUBURN, Ala. – South Alabama saw its season come to a close Tuesday night as Auburn used a second-half surge to pull away for a 78–67 win in the opening round of the National Invitation Tournament at Neville Arena. The Jags (21–12) controlled much of the first half and took a 36–30 lead into the break, but Auburn caught fire from beyond the arc after halftime, knocking down 11 three-pointers in the second half to swing momentum and secure the win. 

Key Moments

• South Alabama set the tone early, knocking down five first-half three-pointers and jumping out to a double-digit lead within the opening minutes.

• The Jaguars extended their advantage to 11 late in the first half and led for over 17 minutes before taking a 36–30 lead into the break.

• Auburn opened the second half with an 11–2 run, erasing the deficit and tying the game at 36–36 just over two minutes into the period.

• The Tigers continued to build momentum from deep, using back-to-back three-pointers to take their first lead since early in the first half.

• A 10–0 Auburn run midway through the second half pushed the lead to double digits and shifted full control to the home side.

• South Alabama answered with a push behind Chaze Harris and Stephen Williams, cutting the deficit to six (67–61) with under four minutes remaining.

• Auburn responded with timely perimeter shooting down the stretch, hitting key three-pointers to extend the lead back to double figures in the final minutes.

Key Stats

• Chaze Harris led all scorers with 29 points to go along with eight rebounds and six assists. Stephen Williams added 14 points and nine rebounds, while Jayden Cooper chipped in 14 points with four three-pointers.

• South Alabama held a 36–30 lead at halftime before Auburn outscored the Jaguars 48–31 in the second half.

• The Jaguars shot 45 percent from the field and 35 percent from three (7-of-20), while Auburn finished 39 percent overall and 36.4 percent from deep (16-of-44), including 11 made three-pointers in the second half.

• South Alabama dominated the paint, outscoring Auburn 36–14, but was outrebounded 42–31 and allowed a 17–6 edge in second-chance points.

Quotable 

Head Coach Richie Riley 

 " What a rewarding season for me, because I got to coach such a special group of guys. If you don't know much about our program, we have an underdog mentality. Our program is rich in love and culture, and that's how we've been able to fight through everything that's going on in the new age of college basketball, and I'm proud of that. There are so many guys in our locker room who have stepped up, and I want to thank all of my guys. I'm so blessed to have coached them, and it's been a really fun year for me." 

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