On Thursday, Mississippi State dominated Auburn 96-56 behind a great defensive performance. The Bulldogs forced Auburn to shoot 34% from the field as the Tigers fall to .500 on the year and 1-6 in the SEC.
Coming off a solid 15-point win against Missouri on Sunday, the Auburn Tigers needed to keep momentum rolling against another good team in Mississippi State. It would be hard going on the road to Starkville as they held a 7-2 record at home coming into the game and ranked top-20 in field goal percentage and rebound margin. Auburn needed a big game from their star forward, DeYona Gaston, to even keep it close.
Auburn got the game they wanted early, forcing Mississippi State into multiple turnovers and Gaston scoring six of the first seven points. The only problem is none of the other Auburn scorers showed up early as the Bulldogs got up 11-7 heading into the first media timeout. Auburn’s defense would show up the rest of the quarter, limiting Mississippi State to only five more points. Auburn’s offense would continue to struggle though, with Gaston and Celia Sumbane being the only scorers through one.
Then Mississippi State started to explode, outscoringing Auburn 33-4 in the second quarter. The Bulldog's zone defense made good shots a rarity, holding Auburn and Gaston to well under 50%. Limiting Auburn’s offense allowed Mississippi State to wait for good opportunities that finally started to fall, shooting 63% from the field for the half.
Auburn’s offense started to get going in the third quarter, but the Bulldogs had an answer every time down the court, making almost every shot at times. State’s lead rarely faltered, extending their lead to nearly 40 at the end of the third quarter.
Mississippi State kept their foot on the gas the rest of the half, dropping close to 100 points on a tough Auburn defense. The Tigers hope to get a couple of their key players healthy soon and back into the lineup to help get their team back into the win column.
The Tigers fall to 10-10 on the season and 1-6 in SEC play. Auburn will try to bounce back at home in Neville as they take on Florida Sunday at 2 p.m. on SECN+.
