Green leads No. 21 Auburn’s 2nd-half surge past Ole Miss

By CHRIS BURROWS
Associated Press

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Wendell Green Jr. scored 23 points, including 18 in the second half, and No. 21 Auburn dominated after halftime to beat Mississippi 82-73 on Tuesday night.

Auburn (13-3, 3-1 Southeastern Conference) trailed 35-34 at the break but put together runs of 6-0, 10-2 and 9-4 in the opening 10 minutes of the second half. Ole Miss got no closer than seven points in the final 12 minutes.

Johni Broome had 19 points and 11 rebounds, Allen Flanigan added 15 points and Jaylin Williams scored 11 for the Tigers, who shot 17 of 28 (60.7%) in the second half and finished 30 of 61 (49.2%) for the game.

Matthew Murrell led Ole Miss (8-8, 0-4) with 24 points, adding six rebounds and four assists. Tye Fagan scored 13 points and Jaemyn Brakefield added 12 for the Rebels, who lost their fifth straight.

BIG PICTURE

Auburn: Road wins are crucial if the Tigers hope to compete for a regular-season SEC championship and improve their seeding prospects for the NCAA Tournament. Auburn split two road games while also beating then-No. 13 Arkansas during a six-day stretch.

Ole Miss: The Rebels played solid defensively and brought plenty of energy in the first half, but Auburn’s 38-28 rebounding advantage and Ole Miss’ limited offensive options proved decisive. Murrell was solid, but got little help in the opening 10 minutes of the second half as Auburn rallied to build a 51-41 lead.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Auburn is one of five ranked SEC teams and should extend a 29-week stretch in the AP Top 25.

UP NEXT

Auburn: Hosts Mississippi State on Saturday.

Ole Miss: Hosts Georgia on Saturday.

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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25