LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said a trip to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament was no sure thing, and experienced Creighton made his top-seeded team work for it before the Tigers found their defensive mojo in the second half and closed out the ninth-seeded Bluejays 82-70 on Saturday night to reach the Sweet 16.

Tahaad Pettiford scored 16 of his 23 points after halftime and Chad Baker-Mazara added 17 points for Auburn, which held Creighton scoreless for more than six minutes during a 10-0 second-half run. Pettiford scored six points during that burst to push the Tigers to a 68-54 lead.

“We knew the shots that we were going to get,” said Pettiford, who made 7 of 14 attempts and 7 of 8 from the foul line. “My guys helped me get the ball, get me open and helped me find the shots that I wanted to get.”

The No. 1 overall seed in the tournament, Auburn (30-5) moves on to the South Region semifinals in Atlanta next weekend, where it will face No. 5 seed Michigan. Pearl’s team was upset in the first round by Yale last year and he had not taken Auburn past the second round since it reached its only Final Four in 2019. This time, his goal is the Tigers’ first-ever national title.

“We played like the No. 1 team in the country," the coach said. "We acted like the No. 1 team in the country. We prepared like the No. 1 team in the country.”

Pearl also used his postgame remarks to call for the release of Edan Alexander, the last remaining American hostage being held by Hamas in Gaza.

Creighton under coach Greg McDermott had reached the Sweet 16 in three of the previous four years. Fifth-year senior center Ryan Kalkbrenner scored 18 points in his final game for the Bluejays (25-11).

“He’s won more games than anybody that’s ever worn a Creighton uniform. He’s won more NCAA Tournament games than anybody who has worn that Creighton uniform,” McDermott said of the 7-foot-1 Kalkbrennner. “His jersey will hang in the rafters someday, and he cares nothing about that, zero. That’s what makes him so special.”

Kalkbrenner banked in a 3-pointer to open the scoring for Creighton and came out on top statistically against 6-10 Auburn All-American Johni Broome, who had eight points on 4-of-13 shooting and 12 rebounds. Auburn also got 15 points from Denver Jones.

The game featured seven ties and 16 lead changes, and Creighton's perimeter game was on point throughout the first half. The Blue Jays shot 64% from 3-point range and 52% overall to lead 37-35 at the break.

Creighton went ahead 50-48 on two free throws by Kalkbrenner with 14:13 left. Ten seconds later, Baker-Mazara converted a three-point play and Auburn never trailed again. The Tigers shot 60% in the second half.

Steven Ashworth and Jamiya Neal scored 13 points each for Creighton, and Jackson McAndrew contributed 12 points on four 3-pointers.

Auburn teammates had to help Baker-Mazara to his feet after he injured his right hip in the second half, and he was helped from the floor after he made two free throws. He later returned to the bench, holding an ice pack on his hip, and re-entered the game for several minutes.

“Chad, you know, obviously he’s a buck seventy-five soaking wet and he has a bony (butt),” Pearl said. “So when he lands on the ground, bam, it’s wood on bone. He probably got a pretty good bruise. Hopefully that’s all it is.”

Broome had a tip-in as the shot clock expired to make it 66-54 during Auburn's decisive run.

Creighton: Ashworth and McAndrew combined to make 6 of 9 3-pointers and score 23 points before halftime. Ashworth managed just two points in the second half.

Auburn: The Tigers' bench outscored Creighton's 31-10. They also outscored the Bluejays 42-24 in the paint and held them to 42% shooting in the final 20 minutes.

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