AUBURN, Ala. (EETV) - Heading into one of their last home games of the year Wednesday, the top-ranked Auburn Tigers exploded offensively to defeat Ole Miss 106-76, completing the season sweep of the Rebels.
Neither team could miss to start the game, combining to go 7-for-7 from the field in the first three minutes. Then Auburn started to pull away behind the hot hands of Johni Broome, Miles Kelly and Chad Baker-Mazara. The trio went on a 12-0 run, including two 3-pointers by Kelly, to open up a 19-7 lead in just five minutes.
On the other end, Auburn’s defense stifled Ole Miss, holding the Rebels to several long scoring droughts heading into the under-12 media timeout. The suffocating defense allowed the Tigers' offense to stay hot, as Auburn shot 75% from the field heading into the under-8 media timeout.
Auburn’s hot play lasted only a few more minutes as Ole Miss made six of its last eight shots before halftime and forced multiple turnovers. The Rebels cut the lead to single digits just before a circus shot by Tre Donaldson sent Auburn into the break with a double-digit advantage. That was the closest Ole Miss would get, as Auburn outscored the Rebels by 20 in the second half.
Coming out of the half, Auburn’s defense returned to form, allowing just one basket heading into the first media timeout. The Tigers’ physicality gave their big men plenty of opportunities on the other end—a trend that helped Auburn win in Oxford almost a month ago. Chaney Johnson and Broome took advantage down low, combining for 11 of the team’s first 15 second-half points to maintain the double-digit lead. It wasn’t long before Dylan Cardwell got involved on both ends, leading an 8-0 run alongside Denver Jones to push the lead to 20.
A relatively quiet second half from Ole Miss allowed Auburn’s student section to get loud. The crowd reached its peak after two straight Ole Miss free throws won fans free gooey fries, but Neville Arena erupted when Jahki Howard hit back-to-back 3-pointers to put Auburn over the 100-point mark. Howard’s late threes extended Auburn’s lead to 30 as the Tigers closed out the game 106-76.
Broome led Auburn’s offense with 24 points, with four other Tigers also scoring in double figures. Baker-Mazara was the only other player above 20, finishing with 22 points. Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard credited Auburn’s offensive dominance, saying, “The defense from Ole Miss was nonexistent.”
Auburn needed a confidence booster before another tough stretch in its SEC schedule. Saturday’s game against Kentucky will be the first of three straight top-20 matchups to end the season, with Texas A&M and Alabama next week.
Auburn will look for another offensive explosion Saturday as it heads to Lexington to take on a high-scoring Kentucky squad led by Mark Pope. The game will be broadcast on ABC at noon CST.
