In a thrilling contest on the road at Ole Miss, Auburn orchestrated a spirited comeback from an 18-point deficit to come within striking distance in the final minute. Despite the effort, the Tigers fell short in a hard-fought 58-55 loss on Thursday night to the Rebels to fall to 0-3 in league play.
Honesty Scott-Grayson emerged as a key figure down the stretch, delivering a crucial bucket-and-one with just over a minute remaining, narrowing the gap to 54-53. However, despite having multiple opportunities in the final minute to level the score or take the lead, Auburn couldn't capitalize. Scott-Grayson, fouled twice, made one shot each time, keeping the deficit at one.
Ole Miss sealed the victory with a pair of free throws with a mere 12 seconds left, extending its lead to three. Auburn had a final chance for a game-tying 3-pointer in the closing seconds, but the shot failed to find its mark.
"This team, I’m really proud of them for how tough they played. They battled back, and they didn’t quit. We’re right there. This is a really good team we played,” said head coach Johnnie Harris following the loss.
Scott-Grayson, overcoming early foul trouble, led Auburn with a game-high 16 points, standing as the sole player in double figures. JaMya Mingo-Young and Celia Sumbane contributed nine points each, while Oyindamola Akinbolawa led in rebounds with six.
Auburn faced shooting struggles, managing only a 22% performance in the first three quarters. However, a resurgence in the fourth quarter saw the Tigers shoot 6-of-10 from the field and an impressive 9-of-11 at the free-throw line. The Tigers forced six turnovers from Ole Miss in the final period, marking the Rebels' worst-shooting quarter of the night.
“In the last ballgame, we did not stay connected or intense the entire game," Harris said. "Tonight, I thought everybody stayed in the game and they were ready when I called their number. We made a couple of mistakes, but those kids played hard, they battled hard and they left it out on the floor. We will get better.”
Ole Miss initially appeared to pull away in the third quarter, capitalizing on turnovers and outscoring Auburn 22-13. Despite the setback, Auburn's resilience shone through. Sumbane's 8-0 run to open the fourth period reduced the deficit to seven, prompting an Ole Miss timeout. Additional contributions from Mingo-Young and a hard-fought layup from Taylen Collins further cut the lead to three.
The first half was marked by Ole Miss leading 27-21 in a low-scoring affair. Auburn struggled from the field, shooting a season-low 29.1%, while Ole Miss maintained a 40% shooting rate. Despite forcing an impressive 21 turnovers from Ole Miss, Auburn was outrebounded 43-35.
Marquesha Davis led Ole Miss with 15 points, supported by Madison Scott's 10 points and eight assists.
As Auburn returns to the friendly confines of Neville Arena, the Tigers prepare for their toughest test of the season – a matchup against No. 7 LSU on Sunday at 2 p.m. CST. The game will be nationally broadcast on ESPN.
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Patrick is a junior from Auburn, Alabama, double majoring in journalism and marketing. He started with The Plainsman in the fall of 2022.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @patrickabingham
