The No. 11 Auburn Tigers defeated the Mississippi State Bulldogs 78-63 Saturday afternoon, propelling them to 22-7 and 11-5 in the SEC.
“I thought it was a good win against a good team,” said head coach Bruce Pearl. “Mississippi State is like a second-round NCAA Tournament game.”
A dominant first half, especially on the defensive end of the court, helped Auburn avenge its January road loss to Mississippi State.
The Tigers kept the Bulldogs to 8-for-29 (27.6%) from the field and 1-for-10 (10%) from beyond the arc before the half. Mississippi State turned the ball over 10 times in the first half, compared to five times by Auburn.
“Defense wins championships,” said center Johni Broome. “We knew it was going to be challenging on the defensive end.”
On the offensive end of the court, Auburn was just as dominant in the first half. The Tigers went 17-for-31 (54.8%) from the field and 4-for-9 (44.4%) from the 3-point line.
Auburn started the contest on a 6-0 run, a run in which the Bulldogs attempted only two shots. A layup and 3-pointer brought the Bulldogs within three of the Tigers at 8-5 just under five minutes in, but a made 3-pointer from forward Chaney Johnson sent the Tigers on a 9-2 run where they extended their lead to 20-7 with 11:17 left to play in the first half.
Johnson finished the day with eight points, going 3-for-4 from the field and 2-for-2 from beyond the arc. The junior ended the first half with a 3-pointer just before the buzzer, putting Auburn up 39-22 at the half.
Despite a strong first half, the Tigers got off to a shaky start in the second half. The Bulldogs started the contest’s final half with a made 3-pointer to send them on an offensive run that brought Mississippi State within seven of the lead with 12:21 left to play.
The Bulldogs improved to 14-for-27 (51.9%) from the field and 6-for-10 (60%) from the 3-point line in the second half while limiting turnovers to three and outscoring the Tigers 41-39 in the game’s final half.
Mississippi State, however, could not to maintain its second-half run as Auburn pulled away with just under ten minutes to play. The Tigers extended their lead to double-digits once again, beating the Bulldogs 78-63.
Auburn shot 50% from the field and 47.4% from beyond overall, marking Auburn’s third straight game shooting 40% or better from the 3-point line. Broome led the Tigers with 17 points, followed by 15 from Denver Jones and 10 from Jaylin Williams and Chad Baker-Mazara. Tre Donaldson led the Tigers in assists with six.
Johni Broome (#4) goes for a layup against Mississippi State at Neville Arena on March 2nd 2024
“It’s March, and it’s time to make shots, not take shots,” Pearl said. “The guys have been putting in the work, and that is what it takes to win.”
Auburn travels to Columbia, Missouri, on Tuesday, March 5 to face the Missouri Tigers (8-20, 0-15 SEC). Tipoff is at 8 p.m. CST and will be televised on SEC Network.
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Grace Heim is a junior from Enterprise, Alabama, majoring in English Literature. She started with The Plainsman in January 2023.
