It has become a constant theme for Auburn lately. Build a big lead, let it slip away slowly, but hold on to win.
The theme stayed true Tuesday night in Auburn Arena, as Auburn watched a 20-point halftime lead slowly slip away, but held on to defeat Mississippi State 98-92. Auburn’s 98 points were the most scored by a Tigers team in a SEC game since 1999 when Auburn defeated Alabama 102-61.
“That was a good home SEC win,” Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. “Beautiful basketball in the first half. I thought we were really prepared. We shared the ball. 22 assists, 32 baskets, it was very good.”
“In the second half, we didn’t shoot as well at the three, but we still shot 55 percent and scored 50 points, but to give up 64, there’s just no excuse for that.”
Bryce Brown scored 18 points to lead Auburn, as the sophomore knocked down 5-of-8 shots from the field. The sophomore guard also knocked down four of his five three-point attempts. He also grabbed five rebounds to go along with two assists and three steals. Brown has now knocked down 8-of-10 three-point attempts in the last two games, victories over Alabama and Mississippi State. He is averaging 15 points per game in the two wins.
“I’ve been in the gym working every day with the coaches and my dad,” Brown said. “My mom even helped me. I told her I would give her a shout-out if she helped me on the court sometimes.”
“I felt like they were sagging off,” Brown said about his three-point outburst. “I felt like that was a little disrespectful and we took advantage of it.”
Mustapha Heron scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half, finishing 6-of-13 from the floor. The standout freshman grabbed six rebounds to go along with four assists.
The Tigers shot 48.5 percent (16-of-33) in the first half including 8-of-15 from three-point range en route to a 48-28 halftime lead. Bryce Brown and TJ Lang knocked down seven of their nine three-point attempts in the first half, as the Tigers bench scored 29 points in the first half.
In a second half filled with fouls, Mississippi State slowly crept back into the game, cutting the lead all the way to five points with under a minute to play. Auburn was able to hang on at the free-throw line, knocking down 25 of its 38 attempts from the charity stripe.
The two teams combined for 32 second-half fouls and 50 second-half free-throw attempts. The teams also combined for 114 second-half points, 64 scored by the Bulldogs.
Auburn finished 32-of-62 (51.6 percent) from the field, knocking down 9-of-22 (40.9 percent) attempts from three-point range. Auburn out-rebounded Mississippi State 38-33.
Austin Wiley scored 14 points to go along with five rebounds to lead the Tigers inside. Ronnie Johnson scored six points off the bench to go along with a season-high eight assists. T.J. Dunans scored 11 points to go along with six rebounds, three assists and one block. TJ Lang added nine points off the bench.
“It was a good win for us against a team that was ahead of us in the conference,” Pearl said.
Mississippi State (14-9, 5-6) was led by Quinndary Weatherspoon who scored 25 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Freshman Lamar Peters scored 23 points and dished out seven assists for the Bulldogs.
With the win, Auburn moves to 16-8, 5-6 in the SEC. The Tigers’ 16 wins are the most wins for Auburn since 2008-09.
Auburn will head to Oxford, Mississippi on Saturday to take on Ole Miss. Tip-off between the Tigers and the Rebels is set for 5 p.m. CST. The game will be televised by the SEC Network.
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