The Auburn men's basketball team tipped off Southeastern Conference play Thursday night with a 65-62 road loss to the Ole Miss Rebels in Oxford.
Trailing by three in the closing moments of the game, KT Harrell, the SEC's leading scorer, was unable to connect on a potential game tying three pointer and Chris Griffin had his last second effort stripped as time expired.
The Tigers (8-4) were led by Chris Denson who provided 28 points on 3-of-9 shooting from behind the arc. The senior guard is averaging 19 points per game so far this season.
Harrell was averaging 21 points per game in the Tigers' four game winning streak, but the junior transfer was held to just 11 points on 2-of-9 shooting in his SEC road debut.
Point guard Tahj Shamsid-Deen also struggled in his first SEC road game. The freshman had just two points and two assists before fouling out with 58.3 seconds left in the game.
With their leading scorer Marshall Henderson suspended due to a previous violation of team rules, Ole Miss (10-4) spread the scoring load against the Tigers, as four players reached double digits.
Sophomore guard Derrick Millinghaus started in place of Henderson and scored 16 points, three assists and three steals.
Senior guard Jarvis Summers contributed 14 points and four assists in the Rebel victory.
The Tigers return to the court Saturday, Jan. 11 in the Auburn Arena against the No. 21 ranked Missouri Tigers (12-2). Tip-off is scheduled for 1:00 CT.
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