Previous history didn’t seem to affect Bruce Pearl’s squad to much with No. 21 Auburn defeating Ole Miss 82-73 improving the Tiger’s conference record to 3-1 and overall record to 13-3.
Despite being a rare road favorite, Auburn has struggled against Ole Miss since Kermit Davis took over the program with a 4-4 record and the Rebels entering the matchup with a 7-3 record at home against the Tigers in their last ten games. Auburn made the trip to Oxford, Miss. after a statement win against then-No. 13 Arkansas this past Saturday.
“Road wins are hard to get,” said head coach Bruce Pearl. “The guys were locked in.”
Johni Broome continued his strong start to the conference season with his fourth straight double-double, the first Auburn player to record four-straight double-doubles since Cinmeon Bowers during the 2015-16 season. Broome shot 8-of-13 from the field for a total of 19 points and had 11 rebounds in his 30 minutes of play on the road.
"He's so consistent," Pearl said. "He gives us that inside scoring threat that not a lot of other teams have."
Broome wasn’t the only big man to contribute for the Tigers, with Jaylin Williams' 10 point second half adding to his eventual total of 12. Williams shot 5-of-8 from the field and recorded three rebounds despite missing time early in the second half due to earning a third foul with 17:39 to go. Along with Dylan Cardwell, all three big men had a huge impact in the game, leading points in the paint 46-26 over Ole Miss and out rebounding the Rebels 38-28.
Wendell Green Jr. picked up right where he left off against Arkansas with a 23 point night, matching a career high at Auburn against Alabama on Feb. 1, 2022. 18 of Green’s 23 points were scored in the second half while only shooting 5-of-15 from the field the entire game. Green also led the team in assists with seven and shot a perfect 11-of-11 from the charity stripe in his 33 minutes of action.
“Wendell Green was the best point guard on the floor,” Pearl said. “Again, he doesn’t get enough credit. He’s one of the best point guards in the country. He made plays on both ends of the floor, offensively and defensively. Scored, assisted, low turnovers, rebounded – a real complete game, really poised on the road. He controlled the tempo of this game.”
Allen Flanigan was the fourth Tiger to score in double figures with 15 points and five rebounds, making it three straight games with at least 10 points and five rebounds for the first time in his career. Flanigan played a season high 34 minutes due to the first half injury to starter Chris Moore.
“After that loss at Georgia, we had a team meeting," Flanigan said. "And the first thing we talked about was talking more. Being more communicative.”
Matthew Murrell led the way for the Rebels with 24 points, one shy of matching his season high against Chattanooga on Nov. 15, 2022. Murrell shot 7-of-16 from the field and a perfect 6-of-6 from the foul line along with six rebounds and four assists in his 39 minutes of play. The only other two players for Ole Miss in double figures were guard Tye Fagan with 13 points and forward Jaemyn Brakefield with 12 points.
Despite the Rebels shooting 36% from deep, their best performance since the Chattanooga game on Nov. 15, 2022, the Tigers were able to shoot 49% percent from the field, only give up 10 turnovers, and score 82 points, the most on the road since defeating South Carolina on Jan. 23, 2021 with 109.
Following the win against Ole Miss, Auburn will take on their Mississippi State on Saturday, Jan. 14 back home in Neville Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CST. The matchup will be televised on the SEC Network.
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Patrick is a sophomore from Auburn, Alabama, double majoring in journalism and marketing. He started with The Plainsman in fall 2022.
