STARKVILLE — For nearly two decades, Mississippi State men’s basketball has owned Auburn in Starkville.
Entering its Southeastern Conference opener against the No. 8 Tigers, MSU was 15-2 against Auburn at Humphrey Coliseum since 2001.
That trend stopped Saturday.
J’Von McCormick delivered a career-high 28 points, and Auburn found its shooting stroke in the second half en route to a 80-68 win over the Bulldogs in front of 8,447 fans in Starkville.
“We’ve got a bus ride back home, but it’s going to feel like we’re flying,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said.
Despite being one of two undefeated teams left in college basketball (San Diego State being the other), these Tigers aren’t built the same way they were when prolific 3-point shooting carried them to a Final Four appearance a year ago. Yet, Auburn converts two-point shots at the fourth-highest rate in the nation. That was critical, considering the Tigers were 0-of-11 from beyond the arc in the first half and only scored 9 points in the first 12 and a half minutes.
“Let’s just say I challenged them,” Pearl said with a wry smile.
With the win, Auburn has won 25 of its last 26 games dating back to last season.
After taking a 17-9 lead in front of a raucous crowd, Mississippi State couldn’t pull away. While the defense was suffocating, holding Auburn to three of its first 23 shots from the floor, the Bulldogs started 6-of-25 from the field themselves. Auburn made a run late in the half and took a 29-24 lead at halftime.
“It just felt like there was a lid on the basket,” MSU guard Robert Woodard II said.
The offensive miscues continued on the second possession in the second half, as Reggie Perry wasn’t on the same page with Nick Weatherspoon, with Weatherspoon cutting right as Perry threw an inbounds pass right into the arms of McCormick for an easy Auburn basket. It was the first of two such inbounds turnovers in the second half.
“They were pressuring us and there was some miscommunication,” Perry said. “We just need to step it up a little bit and get better there.”
Mississippi State trimmed a 10-point deficit down to two with 10 minutes remaining, then Auburn’s Danjel Purifoy took over. After being held scoreless, Purifoy created an 8-0 run by himself with two 3-pointers and a basket. when MSU cut the deficit to two points to extend the lead to 10. He scored all of his 11 points in the second half.
As a team, MSU shot 33.8 percent from the floor and 3 of 13 beyond the arc.
“We just couldn’t get it going offensively,” MSU coach Ben Howland said.
Abdul Ado nearly had a double-double without scoring in double figures, recording 11 rebounds and a career-high nine blocks.
“I thought he was great, especially on the defensive end,” Howland said. “He did so many good things for us. We have to get him the ball more because he’s scoring so much better and making his foul shots. He played with a lot of heart and a lot of toughness today.”
Perry finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds for a double-double, while Woodard scored 12 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.
“Perry is the biggest mismatch in the conference,” Pearl said.
Meanwhile, Weatherspoon contributed 18 points in the loss. Ado, Weatherspoon, Perry and Woodard all played 32-plus minutes.
“I have to use our bench more, I know I’ve said that a lot this year,” Howland said. “I think we got a little bit tired.”
Three other players finished in double figures for Auburn (13-0, 1-0 SEC), including Samir Doughty (15), Isaac Okoro (14) and Austin Wiley (10).
MSU (9-4, 0-1) is back in action at 6 p.m. Wednesday against Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
Hodge is the former sports editor for The Dispatch.
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