Pettiford scores 24 points to lead No. 21 Auburn past Oregon in the Players Era tourney

LAS VEGAS (AP) – Tahaad Pettiford scored 24 points before fouling out and No. 21 Auburn beat Oregon 84-73 on Monday night in the Players Era Championship.

The Tigers (5-1) shot 57.1% in the second half and used a late 10-0 run to pull away from pesky Oregon (4-1) and extend their winning streak against Big Ten teams to nine.

Senior transfer Keyshawn Hall added 18 points for Auburn, which fell short of its season scoring average of 93.4.

Takai Simpkins led Oregon with 22 points. Kwame Evans, Jr. added 11 points and Nate Bittle had 10.

Auburn had 12 steals and scored 14 points off Oregon’s 18 turnovers.

The Tigers, who came in ranked 27th with 9.4 turnovers per game, committed just six turnovers. Auburn also did a good job dominating the inside, outscoring Oregon in the paint, 38-24.

The Ducks, who received 31 votes in this week’s Top 25 poll, went 3-0 en route to the 2024 Player Era Festival championship. They’ll now battle from the loser’s side of the bracket.

Both teams continue play in the Players Era on Tuesday, with Auburn facing No. 7 Michigan, and Oregon playing San Diego State.