Top-seeded Auburn held off No. 8 seed Ole Miss 62-57 on Friday afternoon, securing a spot in the SEC Tournament semifinals in Nashville. The Rebels' 57 points marked the fewest Auburn has allowed since its 53-51 victory over Tennessee.
Ole Miss tied the game at 46 with 6:56 remaining after a 6-0 run, but Auburn responded with an 11-1 run to take a 10-point lead with three minutes left. The Rebels battled back, cutting the deficit to one possession in the final minutes. However, Johni Broome sealed the game for Auburn with a contested layup, pushing the lead to five with 11 seconds remaining.
“That’s what they expect me to do is step my game up when the game is close,” Broome said of the shot that gave Auburn a five point lead. “I had a similar situation last week and I faded away. So, they trusted me.”
Broome finished with 23 points and 15 rebounds, picking up his 18th career and snapping a four game streak without one – his longest stretch of the season without a double-double.
Auburn stifled Ole Miss from beyond the arc, holding the Rebels to a season-low 17.4% from three-point range. Ole Miss finished just 4-of-23 from deep and 20-of-53 overall from the field.
Both teams struggled offensively in the first half, combining to shoot just 17-of-54 from the field. Auburn didn’t take its first lead until nearly midway through the half, sparked by a Broome dunk that ignited a 23-11 run to close out the period. The Tigers entered halftime with a 29-22 lead, led by Denver Jones, who scored 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting, including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc.
The Rebels opened the second half with a 6-2 run before Miles Kelly halted their momentum with a mid range jumper, sparking a 7-2 Auburn run that extended the Tigers' lead to 38-30 with 16:28 remaining. Ole Miss outscored Auburn 35-33 in the second half and shot 48.1% from the field, forcing 11 turnovers from the Tigers. Auburn shot 56.5% in the second half and outrebounded the Rebels 11-19.
From there, the game remained a back-and-forth battle until the final seconds, when Johni Broome took over. He scored seven points in the last six minutes, including the basket that sealed Auburn’s win and denied Ole Miss a chance at a game-tying 3-pointer.
“It feels good to have an extra game with this group," Broome said. "We’ve been trying to make history this whole journey. So, to have that game and to be able to fight for another championship. It’s enjoyable.”
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Grace Heim is a senior from Enterprise, Alabama, majoring in Political Science. She started with The Plainsman in January of 2023.
You can follow her on X (Twitter) at @graceeheim
