No. 4 Auburn seemed prefer it’d be ending its journey to Hawaii in disappointing trend on Monday night time.
However after erasing an 18-point deficit and tying the sport at 81-81, Johni Broome tipped within the game-winning basket with 1.3 seconds remaining and handed No. 5 Iowa State its first lack of the season.
Down 49-33 at half, the Tigers seemed sluggish and incapable of sustaining any offensive momentum.
However head coach Bruce Pearl should’ve had a rousing locker room speech as his crew went on a 15-0 run to start out the second half.
The Cyclones took almost six minutes earlier than hitting their opening bucket after halftime however made issues troublesome for the Tigers down the stretch.
With 4 minutes remaining in regulation, Auburn accomplished the 18-point comeback and took its first lead because the opening minutes of the competition. That opened the door for Broome’s close to buzzer-beating heroics.
The quarterfinal matchup on the Maui Invitational was a battle between NET ranked No. 5 and No. 6 groups.
The assertion win by Auburn (5-0) provides to its already spectacular early resume. It is now the second top-five win the Tigers have recorded in simply 5 video games performed (def. No. 4 Houston on Nov. 9).
They now advance to the semifinals and can play the winner of Dayton vs. No. 12 North Carolina.
Iowa State (3-1) awaits the loser of that very same matchup within the comfort bracket.