Auburn basketball score vs. Houston: Live updates from the NCAA Tournament's second round
BIRMINGHAM — Auburn basketball is aiming to score a win over Houston in Legacy Arena on Saturday.
The matchup comes after the Tigers (21-13), the No. 9 seed in the Midwest Regional, downed 8-seed Iowa in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday. Johni Broome led the way, finishing with 19 points, 12 rebounds and five blocked shots. Allen Flanigan also logged a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds in the 83-75 win over the Hawkeyes.
No. 1-seeded Houston (32-3) won the same day, besting Northern Kentucky 63-52 on the back of Jarace Walker's 16 points. The Norse hung around with the Cougars, as the margin between the two was as little as five points with 3:36 remaining.
TRE DONALDSON:Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl's ties to Iowa roster go back a long way
MAKING A RUN:Auburn basketball banded together to beat Iowa, a sign it might have a March Madness run
BEATING IOWA:Auburn football spring practice: Personnel units and other observations
What time, channel is Auburn's basketball game vs. Houston?
Time: 6:10 p.m. CT
Channel: TBS
Auburn basketball score vs. Houston: Live updates
Second half
FINAL: Houston 81, Auburn 64. The Cougars turn a 10-point halftime deficit into a 17-point win.
Auburn shoots just 4-of-24 from the field in the second half. Add in 11 missed free throws, and you can see where this went awry.
Bruce Pearl's team finishes in the second round for the second straight season. Houston will face the Indiana-Miami winner in Kansas City next week in the Sweet 16.
1:38 left: Marcus Sasser corner 3 is good. That'll do it.
2:04 left: J'Wan Roberts commits his fifth foul on an and-1 for Jaylin Williams. Houston leads by 8.
2:17 left: Four of Houston's five starters now have four fouls. Flanigan makes two free throws, and Houston's lead is 70-61.
3:37 left: Houston 70, Auburn 57. Just gruesome offensive numbers from the Tigers in the second half.
From the field: 2-20
From the free throw line: 12-23
Second half score: Houston 39, Auburn 16.
Cougars closing in on the Sweet 16.
4:48 left: Houston's lead is 10. This one is slipping away from the Tigers. No one getting easy shots or good looks.
5:10 left: Johni Broome is 5-of-14 at the line, and Auburn has missed 16 free throws overall. It's an 8 point Houston lead.
Auburn also 2-of-18 from the field in the second half. Not good.
5:35 left: Jasper to the line for a couple free throws, and he splits the pair. Auburn is 11 of 19 from the line in the second half.
Houston 62, Auburn 56.
6:07 left: Officials now calling about everything. Auburn is in the double bonus, while Houston still 1-and-1.
7:25 left: Finally a made shot for Auburn, a Green layup off of a KD Johnson steal. Houston 56, Auburn 55.
7:52 left: Houston 56, Auburn 51. KD Johnson fouled while shooting a 3-pointer. He'll have three free throws after the timeout. But the Tigers cannot continue on like this, now closing in on 11 minutes without a made field goal.
8:21 left: Auburn's streak of not making a field goal is now up to 10 minutes. Jamal Shead just got called for his fourth foul. Houston's two best guards now with four.
Houston 54, Auburn 51. Tigers must get something going on offense.
9:32 left: Auburn has not made a shot in over eight minutes but still tied 50-50 with 1-seed Houston.
10:53 left: Marcus Sasser foul No. 4. Tigers back in the lead via some free throws, which they'll have to do until someone gets going.
12:50 left: Marcus Sasser 3 gives Houston the lead, 46-45. Auburn has started the second half 1-10 from the field.
15:54 left: Marcus Sasser 3 cuts Auburn's lead to 45-43. Settle in for a back-and-forth second half.
17:16 left: Jamal Shead, who just picked up his third foul, hits a pair of free throws on a play that should have been an and-1 if not for a missed goaltend.
Auburn 43, Houston 40.
18:31 left: Houston scores the first five points of the half, with a Jarace Walker 3 cutting the lead to 41-36.
First half
HALFTIME: Auburn 41, Houston 31. Tigers score the final five points of the half and shot 55% from the floor. Jaylin Williams with 11 points.
1:51 left: Allen Flanigan with a drive and score. It's been easier and easier for Auburn to get good looks at the rim.
4:01 left: Auburn goes on an 8-0 run to take a 32-27 lead, jumpstarted by a Jaylin Williams 3.
9:06 left: Back-to-back 3s by Tre Donaldson. Must be an NCAA Tournament thing. Tigers back up by 1.
12:10 left: Big 3 by KD Johnson.
13:46 left: Houston gets a couple good looks and takes a 16-10 lead.
15:12 left: Good start for Wendell Green Jr. and Johni Broome, who have four points each. Marcus Sasser has six early points for Houston. Cougars by 2.
20:00 left: Let's play for the Sweet 16, shall we? Houston and Auburn underway in Birmingham.
A Twitter List by Rich_Silva18
Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on Twitter @rich_silva18.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn basketball score vs Houston: Live updates in March Madness
