With 4.4 seconds left and No. 2 Auburn hanging onto a one-point lead on the road against South Carolina, Tahaad Pettiford stepped to the free-throw line with a chance to make it a three-point advantage. That situation makes even the most veteran player nervous.

It didn't faze the freshman, who calmly nailed the two shots to help the Tigers hold on for a 66-63 victory in Columbia.

"We won the game because this guy made plays late," Bruce Pearl said about Pettiford.

The New Jersey native played a massive part in Auburn's come-from-behind win after first-team All-American Johni Broome went down with an ankle injury in the second half. In the span of four-plus minutes, Pettiford hit a jumper, a three-pointer and a free throw, the last tying the game at 56 with 7:53 to go.

With 1:32 left and the Tigers down one, Pettiford found an open Dylan Cardwell for a dunk to give Auburn a one-point lead.

"I knew the shot clock was getting down, so I just tried to create," Pettiford said. "I got to the middle, and the bigs stepped up. I knew that somebody was gonna be open. It was Cap, and I just saw the gap and gave it to him."

He then made the two free throws before Morris Ugusuk missed a desperation three at the buzzer as the Tigers walked out of Colonial Life Arena with a victory.

Pettiford ended with 15 points with two assists and two rebounds, eight of those points coming in the critical second half when Auburn made the comeback after trailing by six at the half.