Tahaad Pettiford scores 26 to help Auburn pull away for 75-53 victory over Appalachian State

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Tahaad Pettiford scored 26 points and Auburn pulled away in the second half to beat Appalachian State 75-53 on Monday night. Pettiford made 8 of 16 shots with three 3-pointers and all seven of his free throws for the Tigers (2-0). Adam Olsen scored nine on 3-for-7 shooting from beyond the arc for Auburn, and fellow reserve Kolby King totaled nine points and four rebounds. Eren Banks finished with 19 points to lead the Mountaineers (2-1). Jaylen Colon scored 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds. George Kimble III had a fast-break dunk to give Auburn a 21-10 lead in the first eight minutes. Banks led all scorers with 13 points at halftime and his basket with 2 seconds left cut App State's deficit to 38-36. Pettiford had 12 at the intermission. Pettiford followed a layup by Banks with a three-point play to put Auburn ahead 43-39 and the Tigers pulled away over the final 16 minutes. Auburn shot 41% overall and made 8 of 24 from distance and 17 of 23 at the foul line. App State shot 32%, made 7 of 28 from distance and 10 of 16 free throws. Up next Appalachian State: At Charlotte on Friday. Auburn: Hosts No. 12 Arizona on Friday. Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here , visit the Top 25 here and see AP’s full men’s basketball coverage here