No. 11 Auburn takes down No. 4 Houston

No. 11 Auburn defeated No. 4 Houston 74-69 in a thrilling early-season showdown between a pair of conference favorites.

The Tigers prevailed in a back-and-forth affair despite being down two players following a reported incident Friday on a team flight.

Houston took a five-point lead into halftime and led by as many as nine points before Auburn fought back.

Freshman guard Tahaad Pettiford rose to the occasion for Auburn, posting 21 points, three boards, and three assists. He made of 5-of-8 attempts from deep and shot 7-of-12 overall.

It was a huge bounce-back performance for Pettiford, just three nights after going scoreless and fouling out in his collegiate debut.

That wasn't lost on Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl.

"(Pettiford) stepped up, showed up, big nuts. That's what it takes," Pearl said postgame, per Jay G. Tate of AuburnSports.com.

"Tahaad is a special young man," Pearl added, according to Justin Ferguson of The Auburn Observer. "He's got great talent. When you say that, sometimes those guys don't work at it. He's worked at his game. Absolutely not afraid of the moment."

L.J. Cryer and Emanuel Sharp added 13 points apiece in a losing cause.

The Tigers shot 52.9% from the field and limited the Cougars to just 41.4% shooting.

Pearl's squad also outscored Houston by eight points in the paint.

"This is gonna be one happy ride home," Pearl said, according to Nathan King of 247Sports.