NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Playing its third game in as many days, Mississippi State refused to go down without a fight. But Auburn had fresher legs and was able to outlast the Bulldogs in the end, sending MSU home in the Southeastern Conference Tournament semifinals on Saturday with a 73-66 loss.
With the teams having already played twice in the regular season, and the last meeting occurring just two weeks ago, there were no secrets. Both defenses were prepared and energetic — MSU forced eight turnovers in the first half and Auburn forced 10.
The Tigers, just as they did early on at Neville Arena on Mar. 2, made it their mission to limit Josh Hubbard’s scoring opportunities, and they held him to just three first-half points on 1-for-5 shooting. Jeffries was perfect from the floor in the opening half, connecting on the Bulldogs’ only 3-pointer and leading MSU with eight points.
The Bulldogs controlled the glass against one of the few SEC teams that can match up with them size-wise, out-rebounding Auburn 22-10 overall and 12-3 on the offensive end in the first half. That helped MSU to a 10-1 edge in second-chance points in the half as the Bulldogs raced out to an early 12-4 lead.
After missing five of their first six shots, the Tigers made nine of their last 10 to surge into the lead for the first time, but they then missed six in a row before connecting on their last two field goals to close the half, including a Jaylin Williams driving layup that just beat the buzzer.
The second half featured 25 combined fouls and 30 total free throw attempts, and things got chippy between the Bulldogs’ D.J. Jeffries and the Tigers’ Chad Baker-Mazara, who were each assessed a technical foul. KeShawn Murphy and Dashawn Davis also picked up technicals in the first half for MSU, as did K.D. Johnson for Auburn.
The Tigers appeared to gradually take control, bringing the lead to nine points, but Hubbard finally started to come alive down the stretch, with a few big buckets that cut the Bulldogs’ deficit to a single point just after the five-minute mark. Dylan Carwell had an emphatic response, though, with two dunks sandwiched around a block on a Hubbard 3-point attempt that extended the margin back to five.
Hubbard led all scorers with 20 points, 17 of them in the second half, Jeffries added 12 and Tolu Smith chipped in with 10. But Auburn had five players in double figures, which made the difference in the end.
With two wins earlier in the week, MSU is a virtual lock to make the NCAA Tournament for the second time in as many seasons under head coach Chris Jans. The Bulldogs will learn their postseason fate during the selection show on Sunday at 5 p.m.
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