Auburn withstands Ole Miss late rally for 78-66 victory

Ole Miss men’s basketball lost to Auburn 78-66 Tuesday night at the SJB Pavilion.

The Rebels led early but trailed for most of the game. They jumped out to a 5-2 advantage at 18:36 but then fell behind and stayed behind for the next 10 minutes and 54 seconds of play.

Ole Miss took a brief lead after Ilias Kamardine drove for a layup to make it 19-17 at the 7:42 mark. Auburn responded with an 8-0 run to move ahead 26-19. The Rebels closed the first half strong, with Travis Perry and Kamardine each hitting three-pointers to cut the deficit to 28-27 at halftime.

In the second half, Auburn extended its lead to 13 points, 62-49, with 6:24 remaining. Ole Miss mounted a late rally, pulling within five points, 69-64, with under two minutes to go. However, Auburn responded with a fast-break dunk, sealing the victory.

AJ Storr led Ole Miss with 18 points, averaging 22 over the past four games. Perry added 15 points with five three-pointers, tying his season best. Freshman Patton Pinkins scored 15, hitting double figures in eight games this season, including four SEC contests.

The Rebels will face Kentucky on Saturday at Rupp Arena, with tip-off set for 11 a.m. on ESPN. Ole Miss’s next home game is scheduled for Feb. 3 against Vanderbilt.

Source: Original Article