Magwood's Comeback Fuels Auburn's NIT Win

0:00On March 20th, Auburn freshman Katie Magwood made a big splash in his first game action in 18 outings, dropping 14 points all in the second half to fuel a comeback win over South Alabama. The Tigers trailed by 11 before rallying to a 78-67 victory in their NIT opener. Coach Stephen Pearl plans to keep giving the backup point guard minutes behind to hide Petaford. Pearl is fine with fans questioning why Magwood sets so long as long as it keeps the team winning. The four-star recruit from Charlotte backed up early in non-conference play and even started the first two SEC games during Petaford's suspension, but he got pulled after the third conference match-up over off-court issues and defensive lapses. Magwood also drew attention with a deleted social media post questioning coaching back in January. Still, Pearl rewarded his straight A's this semester by bringing him back for the postseason tournament. The freshman responded with 11 straight points to spark a 16-to-2 run that flipped the game.

1:02Pearl inserted Magwood partly to counter South Alabama's zone defense, which forced the season high 42-3 point tries. Auburn hit 11 in the second half to pull away. Now the Tigers face a tougher test against Seattle University's top 20 defense and their defensive player of the year. That second round match-up tips off Sunday at 5.30pm central standard time on ESPN2. Promising a step of in pressure as the Red Hawks press. The ball hard for 40 minutes.