From the time the schedules were released, Auburn basketball vs. Houston was seen as a potential game of the year, a November game with a late-March pedigree. Needless to say, Saturday's game at Toyota Center in Houston lived up to the hype.

Both sides were evenly matched throughout the first half, with only a Cougars buzzer-beater increaseing the deficit to two scores.

Early in the second, UH appeared to have figured AU out. The Cougars stretched their lead to nine points, the closest either side had gotten to a double-digit lead, in the half's opening minutes. However, the Tigers fought back and managed to tie with just minutes remaining in regulation.

Just a few minutes later, AU took the lead. But UH didn't go down without a fight as the two teams traded the lead 13 times. Ultimately, Houston (1-1) blinked first, as Auburn (2-0) escaped the Toyota Center with a 74-69 win.

Tahaad Pettiford breaks out for Auburn basketball

Freshman guard Tahaad Pettiford had a debut to forget on Wednesday, fouling out and missing every one of his shots. Fortunately for the Tigers, Pettiford did forget — and did so quickly.

The New Jersey native scored 21 points off the bench Saturday, good enough to lead the team. Most impressive was his performance down the stretch in a close contest. Not only did he make a team-high five 3-pointers, he scored 15 points in the second half on his way to outscoring the entire Cougars bench on his own.

Defenses stand by for a battle

Auburn and Houston were both projected to have excellent defenses entering the season, and both teams proved their defensive worth on Saturday.

The Tigers held the Cougars to just 41% shooting, including 38% on 3-pointers, but Houston responded in kind. While UH held Auburn to a respectable 53% shooting, AU shot just 30% from deep.

More Auburn Basketball: Auburn basketball: Three players that will define Bruce Pearl's Tigers 2024-25 season

Fallout from flight

The Tigers made headlines well before the ball was tipped on Saturday, when the team flight on Friday evening was reportedly turned around due to an altercation between players while the plane was in the air.

More on the flight: Auburn basketball flight forced to return after player altercation | Reports

While the team managed to get to Houston on Friday, the two players alleged to have been involved — freshman forward Jahki Howard and redshirt junior transfer Ja'Heim Hudson — were not there following a suspension and did not play Saturday night.

What's next

Auburn will host Kent State on Wednesday.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn basketball tops Houston in early-season heavyweight showdown