OXFORD, Miss. – No. 4 Auburn overcame a 14-point deficit to win its 13th straight game, beating Ole Miss 80-71 Saturday at SJB Pavilion to improve to 5-0 in the SEC.
"We got more engaged defensively, and that clearly made the difference," Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. "It's what won the Alabama game for us and it's what won the game here tonight, our second-half defense."
Walker Kessler tied his career high with 20 points, adding 10 rebounds, seven blocks and four steals as the Tigers turned up their defensive intensity in the second half while outscoring the Rebels 42-27.
"It was a lot of fun," said Kessler who made 9-of-11 shots while playing 32 minutes after foul trouble limited his playing time in Auburn's previous two games. "The last two games were frustrating, but it was fun to play and get all that frustration out."
"Walker was dominant at the rim on both ends of the floor," Pearl said. "He's got great hands and toughness. Big blocked shots, deflections, rebounds. He owned the paint. I'm so proud of him and so happy for him to play well on the road in a tough environment."
Auburn used an 11-0 run to take a 58-53 lead midway through the second half, taking the lead on Wendell Green Jr.'s 30-foot 3-pointer after Kessler's blocked shot, then going up by five on Zep Jasper's 3.
After Ole Miss called a timeout, the thousands of Tiger fans in attendance could be heard shouting "Let's go Auburn."
The Rebels tied it at 58-58 before a 9-0 Auburn run put the Tigers on top 67-58. After Ole Miss pulled within four on a 7-0 run, Jabari Smith answered with a 3-pointer.
"He's not afraid," Pearl said of the freshman star. "He made plays at both ends at the end."
Smith scored 15 points while K.D. Johnson and Green each added 14.
"The combination of Wendell Green, KD., Jabari and Walker, those four guys were tremendous tonight," Pearl said. "It takes special to win on the road, and all four of them were special tonight."
Auburn closed the first half on a 7-0 run in the final 65 seconds thanks to Allen Flanigan's fadeaway, Kessler's alley-oop dunk, and a pair of Johnson steals that yielded three free throws.
"We just stayed together and kept going," Johnson said. "We knew we were going to come back. With BP, the team we have and the coaching staff, I trust in them. I know we can overcome anything."
Ole Miss built a 14-point lead with six minutes left in the first half while shooting 50 percent on 3-pointers before the Tigers narrowed the gap.
Kessler scored 10 in the first half while Johnson added nine points before intermission.
"We never give up. We always stick together," Kessler said. "We understand what it takes to win, and we got the win."
Auburn tied its season low with six turnovers while making 10 steals to take a 17-10 advantage in points off turnovers.
"When it counted, we made plays," Pearl said. "It wasn't that we just got stops. We turned them over, we got deflections, we got 50-50 balls."
After back-to-back road games, the Tigers (16-1, 5-0) return to Auburn Arena for consecutive home games, Wednesday at 8 p.m. CT vs. Georgia and Saturday afternoon against Kentucky.
With higher-ranked teams losing during the week, Auburn could be ranked No. 1 Monday when the new AP top 25 is released.
"It is historic, and it does matter, and it does mean something," Pearl said. "That'll be a proud moment for Auburn. I understand it doesn't mean much right now, but it still makes a very strong statement."
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer