AUBURN, Ala. — Mississippi State played its best defensive game of the season on Jan. 27 against Auburn, holding the Tigers to 58 points and 25 percent shooting from 3-point range in an upset win at Humphrey Coliseum.
No. 11 Auburn returned the favor Saturday at Neville Arena, as the Bulldogs made just four of their first 25 field goals, went 1-for-10 from deep in the first half and lost 78-63.
“We started slow, both offensively and defensively,” MSU head coach Chris Jans said. “They were very aggressive early in the game, the majority of the game, but especially early. We were catching the ball farther out than the play is designed to do, put us on our heels a little bit.”
The Tigers controlled the paint early on, with Auburn’s Johni Broome getting the better of the Bulldogs’ Tolu Smith, and MSU (19-10, 8-8 Southeastern Conference) was never able to grab the lead or take the crowd out of the game. The Bulldogs also turned the ball over 10 times in the first half, helping Auburn stretch its lead to as large as 19 points.
With MSU forced to send extra bodies inside, the Tigers (22-7, 11-5) were able to find open looks from the perimeter as well, shooting better than 40 percent from 3-point range for the third straight game. Denver Jones, who entered Saturday averaging eight points per game, finished with 15 on 3-for-5 from behind the arc.
“I think (Smith and I) are the two best bigs in the conference,” Broome said. “All week I’m preparing for that matchup. I took the matchup personally; I’m pretty sure he did too. He’s a great player, so I tried to not let him get it as much as possible, and when he did get it, I tried to make it as hard for him as I could.”
Auburn also limited budding superstar freshman guard Josh Hubbard, coming off back-to-back games with 30-plus points, to just three in the first half. The Bulldogs missed 12 shots in a row over a seven-minute stretch, and although they later made 11 of 13 between the two halves, the early hole was just too deep for them to climb out of.
The Tigers remained active on the defensive end from tip to buzzer, getting around MSU’s ball screens to close out on the shooters and alter shots. Auburn finished the game with nine blocks from six different players.
“They were aggressive on and off the ball, denying everybody,” Hubbard said. “It was hard to get to the rim.”
The Bulldogs’ offense did get going in the second half, when they shot better than 50 percent including 6-for-10 from distance. Hubbard finished with 23 points, 18 of them on 3-pointers, and Smith recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. The Tigers’ depth, though, helped carry the day — Auburn’s bench outscored MSU’s 26-13.
After reeling off five consecutive victories, the Bulldogs have now lost two in a row as the postseason draws ever nearer. MSU has another chance for a Quadrant 1 win Wednesday night at Texas A&M, then returns to Starkville to host a ranked South Carolina team next Saturday to conclude the regular season.
“It doesn’t matter what I think will happen,” Jans said. “We’re in the last five minutes of our game, if you use the analogy of our season. The opportunities go away quickly, and we have to win some games. That’s the bottom line. Obviously the last four games of our SEC schedule, like the first four, are tough. They’re great opportunities, but if you don’t take advantage of them, they’re just lost opportunities.”
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