AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Johni Broome had 17 points, Denver Jones scored 15, and No. 11 Auburn bounced back from a road loss at fourth-ranked Tennessee with a 78-63 win over Mississippi State on Saturday.
Auburn (22-7, 11-5 SEC) set the tone with its defense, as Mississippi State missed 17 of its first 19 shots. The Tigers never trailed, and they recorded nine blocks and eight steals in the victory.
Mississippi State (19-10, 8-8) cut Auburn’s 17-point halftime lead down to eight with 13:28 remaining. Auburn responded with a 10-3 run of its own to reestablish control of the game.
Josh Hubbard finished with 23 points, including 20 in the second half, for the Bulldogs. Tolu Smith added 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Auburn fifth-year senior Jaylin Williams played in his 135th career game, breaking the program’s record formerly held by Frankie Sullivan. Williams scored 10 points in his return to the Tigers’ starting lineup after suffering a knee injury two weeks ago.
BIG PICTURE
Mississippi State: It’s been a tough week for the Bulldogs, who had won five straight games before dropping a close one at home to No. 16 Kentucky on Tuesday night. The Bulldogs appear to be in the NCAA Tournament picture, but these two losses were missed opportunities to boost their resume.
Auburn: Bruce Pearl told his team recently that it needed to do a better job with its shot-making heading into March, and it has responded in a big way. The Tigers have now hit 40% or more of their 3-pointers in three consecutive games for the first time since November 2018.
UP NEXT
Mississippi State: Visits Texas A&M on Wednesday night.
Auburn: Visits Missouri on Tuesday night.
___
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here.
___
AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
