ATLANTA | Auburn needed a spark.

Tahaad Pettiford lit the fuse and Denver Jones set off the fireworks as the Tigers used a 20-2 second-half run to beat Michigan.

Jones made back-to-back 3-pointers and then a layup that stretched the lead to nine and sent a partisan Auburn crowd into a frenzy.

“Man, that’s a moment I’ll never forget,” said Jones. “We’re here in Atlanta. We’ve got a lot of Auburn fans here. Really just scoring and turning around and the whole gym stands up. All you see is blue and orange.”

Jones had 11 of the AU’s 20 points in the game-clinching run that stretched from the 12:11 mark to 7:27 when he polished it off with a layup.

The Tigers went from down 48-39 to firmly in control of the game with a 59-50 lead. AU put together a 6-0 run a couple of minutes later to stretch the lead out to 13 with 4:35 left, and eventually won 78-65.

“He makes some clutch shots,” said senior Dylan Cardwell. “He makes shots when we need them. I love Denver Jones to death.”

Jones finished with 20 points on 7 of 13 shooting including 4 of 7 3-pointers. He added four rebounds, two assists and just one turnover in 35 minutes.

Thirteen of his 20 points came in the second half, which was vital in the Tigers reaching the Elite Eight for only the third time in school history.

“It means a lot, especially being put out the first round last year,” said Jones. “It’s just a testament to our hard work and being surrounded by players like Johni, Tahaad, Dylan, a lot of our older guys. I feel like that’s the reason we’re here right now.”

Auburn, 31-5, will face No. 2 seed Michigan State Sunday at 4:05 p.m. CT with a berth in the Final Four on the line.