DURHAM, N.C. | At halftime of No. 2 Auburn's 84-78 loss to No. 9 Duke in Cameron Indoor Stadium, Tahaad Pettiford had six points, both three-pointers, as he went 2-of-5 from the floor. It would have been easy for the freshman to get down on himself, but with the help of his teammates, he kept the confidence that has served him well so far this season.

"Just having the team I have around me, you know — if I don't have a good first half, they're always on me: 'Keep shooting, keep doing what you've gotta do,'" Pettiford said following the game. "They're pushing me to be better than I am."

The Jersey City, N.J., native was better in the second half, continually making big shots or passes to help the Tigers stay in the game against the Blue Devils. In an 8-3 run to cut the score to two points with 7:04 left, Pettiford hit a three and layup on back-to-back possession and followed a Miles Kelly three with a jumper to make it 68-66.

Despite having a hot hand, the guard saw just nine minutes in the second half. Bruce Pearl gave an explanation for the limited amount of minutes for Pettiford in the final 20 minutes.

"Did a great job offensively and defensively," the Auburn coach said. "They were isolating a little bit, so we — we needed buckets and stops. And so, it wasn't just foul trouble that had him out of the game. It was just to put our better defenders on the floor."

Pettiford finished the game tying Johni Broome for a team-high 20 points. He also dished out three assists with just one turnover. It's part of what Pearl has seen from the youngster in the early part of the season.

"Tahaad has gotten off to a great start as a freshman," Pearl said. "You can see his talent, his ability to score, his courage."