The Auburn Tigers pulled off an impressive 85-74 victory over No. 14 St. John's in Las Vegas, erasing a double-digit deficit with dominant second-half play. The win moved the Tigers to 6-2 under first-year head coach Steven Pearl, building on their early-season momentum .

Following their 30-point loss to Michigan the previous night, Pearl's squad needed a response. They found it through one specific element that had been missing.

After the victory, Pearl emphasized ball movement as the catalyst for their turnaround. Auburn finished with 16 assists against the Red Storm, hitting the exact target the coaching staff had set.

“We talked about we needed 15-plus assists. We got 16… That's Auburn basketball , and that's what we got away from yesterday,” Pearl said, via Justin Ferguson on

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