OXFORD, Miss. – Jaylin Williams scored a career-high 24 points Wednesday night, but Auburn couldn't overcome another sluggish first half and lost 72-61 on the road at Ole Miss.
Williams scored the first five points for the Tigers and had 16 in the first half, including four triples, but the rest of the team scored only 13 points in the first 20 minutes. Auburn went more than seven minutes without a field goal and trailed 43-29 at the break.
"We've got to do better starting the game off and communicating," Williams said. "The second half, we communicated."
The Tigers battled back in the second half and cut the lead to single digits with five minutes left. Junior Jamal Johnson knocked down three 3-pointers and Williams connected with fellow sophomore Devan Cambridge on an alley-oop dunk during what was a 14-4 Auburn run to make it 60-52. However, Ole Miss responded with a 7-0 run of its own to put the game away.
"I thought Jamal Johnson and Jaylin Williams both played really well for us," Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. "Jaylin was plus-2 in an 11-point loss and obviously played hard. I thought we had a chance. With about four minutes to go, we had a couple empty possessions, turnovers, and they ran it back out on us."
Williams capped his night by banking in a deep 3 in the final minute. He shot 6 of 10 from beyond the arc and was 7 of 14 from the floor. He also added four assists and four rebounds.
Johnson finished with 11 points, making it four straight games in double figures. The junior guard, who earned the start in place of the injured Justin Powell, is averaging 17.3 points per game and has 13 triples through the team's first three SEC games.
Powell missed the game due to a head injury he suffered against Texas A&M, and his absence was felt, especially in the first half when Auburn struggled against the Ole Miss defense.
The Tigers outrebounded Ole Miss, 37-35. Allen Flanigan pulled down a team-high six rebounds while freshmen JT Thor and Dylan Cardwell had five boards apiece. Thor was also third on the team in scoring with nine points on the night, two shy of his career high.
After two consecutive road games, Auburn will return home Saturday to take on in-state rival Alabama. The game is slated to tip off at 11 a.m. and will be televised on ESPN2.
"There's not a lot of room for error," Pearl said. "So obviously, I am proud of them for continuing to battle. But as long as we continue to grow and learn – the schedule is going to get tougher now. It's going to get tougher with Alabama at home, then going to Georgia, we play Kentucky. This is all just a process."
