OXFORD, Miss. – The No. 16 Auburn Tigers (18-4, 7-2 SEC) picked up a hard-fought 91-77 road win over the Ole Miss Rebels (18-4, 5-4 SEC) on Saturday.
"That's the best win of the year for us," Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. "To come into this building with this incredible fan base at Ole Miss."
Auburn struggled in the first half but took control in the second on the way to its second win in a row.
What are the biggest takeaways from the game?
Getting the ball inside was a focus for Auburn
Forty-four of Auburn's 91 points came from inside the paint.
Despite having success scoring from all over the floor, Auburn stayed committed to what has been working all season.
Auburn is a difficult team to beat down low, and that remained true today.
Auburn won the battle of the boards
After struggling to rebound in recent contests, Auburn got back on track on Saturday.
The Tigers out-rebounded the Rebels 42-26 total, 14-8 on the offensive side and 28-18 on the defensive side.
Auburn turned in 15 second-chance points to Ole Miss' nine.
Jaylin Williams showed up
After a stretch of off games, Auburn's veteran forward was a big part of Auburn's success against the Rebels.
Williams led Auburn in scoring with 16 points, closely followed by Johni Broome and Chad Baker-Mazara who had 15 each. Williams shot 6-11 from the field, 1-4 from 3-point range and 3-4 from the free-throw line.
Auburn needed someone to step up on Saturday, and Williams answered that call.
Auburn found a way to win despite Ole Miss' unreal shooting performance
The Rebels put together a clinic offensively.
Ole Miss shot 45.2% from the field, 42.1% from 3-point range and 76.5% from the free-throw line.
Auburn had to dig deep defensively, and it was able to do just that in Auburn's second road win of SEC play.
Auburn was on from beyond the arc
Auburn has had an up-and-down season from 3-point range and has struggled to perform well on the road in that area.
That was not the case on Saturday, however, as the Tigers shot 12-27 or 44.4% from beyond the arc.
Eight different Tigers made a 3-point basket. Tre Donaldson went 2-3 from deep, and Chad Baker-Mazara went 3-6.
Three-point shooting can make a difference in any game, and that was the case against the Rebels.
Auburn returns to action on Wednesday when it takes on the Alabama Crimson Tide at home inside Neville Arena at 6 p.m. CT. The television broadcast can be found on ESPN2, and the Auburn Sports Network broadcast can be streamed anywhere on the Auburn Athletics app.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email daniel.locke@1819news.com.
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