INDIANAPOLIS – Advancing to the NIT championship game for the first time, Auburn got 24 points from Keyshawn Hall and made 12 3-pointers to rout Illinois State 88-66 Thursday at Hinkle Fieldhouse in the semifinals.
“I’m proud of my guys. We took a really difficult situation, not getting in on Selection Sunday, and I think we’ve turned it into a positive,” Auburn coach Steven Pearl said. “They’re playing with a level of joy that is really good for me as a coach to see. Good performance by our guys. Really cool to have the opportunity to play in Hinkle.”
Kevin Overton went 5-for-5 from 3-point range and Sebastian Williams-Adams made all three of his 3-pointers to help the Tigers shoot 57.1 percent from deep, going 12 for 21.
Overton scored 16 points, Filip Jovic scored 13 and Tahaad Pettiford added 12 points and a game-high five assists.
“All of those guys have really stepped up as the postseason has gone on,” Pearl said. “It’s an opportunity to represent themselves but also represent Auburn. They’ve done a really good job of that.”
The Tigers converted18 Illinois State turnovers into 26 points while outscoring the Redbirds 22-2 in fast-break points.
“The last 30 minutes, I thought our defense was really solid,” Pearl said. “Good overall effort. Proud of the guys.”
Leading by 13 points at the half, Auburn pushed its lead to 24 midway through the second half with Hall scoring the Tigers’ first seven points after intermission.
“My teammates were finding me. We were getting a lot of fast-break points,” said Hall, who made 10 of 16 shots and grabbed a team-high six rebounds. “The defense carried us when we were getting out in transition and a lot of guys hit shots. We were having fun, we were smiling, happy, just playing.”
After Hall’s flurry, Pettiford, Overton and Williams-Adams made 3-pointers with each one putting Auburn up by two dozen, matching its biggest lead.
“We knew we had to keep our foot on the gas,” Pettiford said. “Getting out in transition, letting our defense turn into our offense.”
“We’ve done a good job all postseason of really sharing it,” Pearl said of Auburn’s 20-assist performance. “We did a great job of making easy passes and finishing around the rim. When we share the ball, we’re pretty good.”
Auburn led by at least 16 points the rest of the way, earning its fourth NIT victory this season, its first away from Neville Arena. Senior walk-on Reed Trapp scored Auburn’s final two points.
Overton made four first-half 3-pointers and Hall scored 15 on 7-of-9 shooting to help Auburn take a 51-38 halftime lead.
Auburn (21-16) will play Tulsa (30-7) Sunday at 7 p.m. CT on EPSN2 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, home of the NBA’s Indiana Pacers. The Golden Hurricane defeated New Mexico 74-69 in Thursday’s first semifinal.
“Our league play got us ready for being able to play in this tournament and allowed us to find a way to win four straight,” Pearl said.
“Finish what we came here for,” Pettiford said. “We came to win it all and that’s what we’re looking forward to doing. It’s special to be one of the last teams playing. Not every team can finish their season with a win so hopefully we can do that and end the season happy.”
GAME NOTES
- With Auburn’s 88-66 victory over Illinois State, the Tigers have advanced to their first NIT championship game in program history. The Tigers will face Tulsa in the championship game on Sunday night at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN2.
- The Tigers shot 60.7 percent for the game (34-of-56), marking the second time they have shot 60% or better this season (64.6 vs. Jackson State).
- Auburn shot 66 percent in the first half on 21-of-32 shooting and scored 51 points. It was the third time this season Auburn has scored 50 or more points in the first half (57 vs. Queens, 55 vs. Jackson State).
- Auburn had 20 assists against Illinois State and is averaging 16.0 assists per game in the NIT.
- Keyshawn Hall scored 24 points and is now in sole possession of 5th place on Auburn’s single season scoring list (683). Hall passed Johni Broom (669 in 2024-25) and Mike Mitchell (671 in 1977-78) for 5th place. It was Hall’s 19th game scoring 20 or more points this year.
- Tahaad Pettiford became the 41st player in program history to score 1,000 career points. The sophomore finished the game with 12 points and now has 561 this season, which moved him into 20th place on Auburn’s single season scoring list.
- Kevin Overton finished the game with 16 points on 5-of-5 shooting with all five of his makes coming from behind the 3-point line. Overton now has 90 made 3-pointers this season, which is the 8th most single season makes in Auburn history, passing Miles Kelly (88 in 2024-25).
- Auburn outscored Illinois State 26-9 on points off turnovers and also outscored the Redbirds 38-24 in the paint. Additionally, the Tigers had a 22-2 advantage in fast break points.
- The starting lineup of Elyjah Freeman, Keyshawn Hall, Filip Jovic, Kevin Overton and Tahaad Pettiford is now 5-1 this season when starting together.
- The 2025-26 team has surpassed 3,000 points this season, becoming the third team at Auburn to do so, along with doing it for the second-consecutive season.
- Auburn had 13 steals tonight, which is tied for the second most this season.
