HOUSTON — Tahaad Pettiford had 21 points, including five 3-pointers, Johni Broome added 20 points and nine rebounds and No. 11 Auburn beat No. 4 Houston 74-69 on Saturday night.
The victory came one day after the Tigers’ flight to Houston had to be grounded shortly after takeoff because of a scuffle involving two Tigers players.
The incident between reserves Jahki Howard and Ja’Heim Hudson was over before it escalated into anything serious, sources told ESPN, but flight personnel opted to turn the plane around. The replacement flight took off for Houston late Friday night, according to sources.
Sources said Howard and Hudson did not travel with the Tigers.
Chaney Johnson had 11 points and 10 rebounds for Auburn (2-0). Broome scored 16 points and Pettiford had 15 in the second half.
L.J. Cryer and Emmanuel Sharp each had 13 points for Houston (1-1), J’Wan Roberts had 12 points and seven rebounds and Joseph Tugler and Milos Uzan each scored 10.
After Houston regained the lead at 67-66 on a 3-pointer by Sharp with 2:14 remaining, Chad Baker-Mazara hit a jumper for Auburn, and after the Cougars turned it over the next time down the floor, Baker-Mazara hit two free throws to give the Tigers a three-point lead with 49 seconds left.
Cryer missed a jumper with 33 seconds left, and Denver Jones stole the rebound. Jones was fouled and hit two free throws to extend the lead to 72-67 with 22 seconds remaining.
ESPN’s Jeff Borzello and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
