OXFORD, Miss. – Down nine at the half, No. 16 Auburn scored 56 points in the second half to race past Ole Miss and sweep the season series with a 91-77 win Saturday night.
"That's the best win of the year for us," Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said.
Auburn started the second half on a 17-6 run and took its first lead of the game with a pair of free throws from K.D. Johnson at the 15:10 mark. The Tigers shot 73.3 percent (22-30) over the final 20 minutes and had 15 assists on 22 made field goals.
"I feel like everybody came out with a different spark," Auburn big man Johni Broome said. "We just needed everybody on the same page. 'I got your back. You got my back. Let's come out here and win the game.'"
Broome, who was held scoreless in the first half, scored all 15 of his points in the second half and spearheaded a 10-2 run to help the Tigers pull away down the stretch.
First, it was a crosscourt pass from Broome to Denver Jones in the corner for a wide open 3. Then after an Ole Miss basket, Broome tallied seven straight points, including a 3-pointer of his own, to extend the lead to 11 (80-69). He finished second on the team in points and led the way with nine rebounds, seven assists and three blocks.
"I want to compliment Johni Broome in a couple ways," Pearl said. "I want to compliment him in the first half because even though he didn't put up any dominating numbers and got into a little bit of foul trouble, his demeanor, his play, his body language, the way he was in the huddle – there was no panic. I think the rest of the guys kind of fed off that.
"Chad Baker-Mazara had some of that as well. We've talked about this team as being the sum of its parts. Look at Chad Baker-Mazara come off the bench and score and play with great confidence. He's plus-20 coming off the bench.
"You could see the will to win, and obviously that bodes well."
Like Broome, Baker-Mazara played a major role in the turnaround. He delivered a rousing halftime speech and then backed it up with 12 points in the second half. The junior college transfer matched Broome with 15 points and nine rebounds for the game and put the exclamation point on the victory with an emphatic one-handed dunk in the final minutes. He didn't miss a shot in the second half, going 4-of-4 from the field.
Jaylin Williams scored nine of his team-high 16 points in the second half and had a monster slam of his own that tied the game at 60. The senior forward shot 6-of-11 from the field and has now scored in double figures in 14 of Auburn's 22 games this season.
In the first half, it was Jones and Tre Donaldson who kept the Tigers in it with eight points apiece. Jones' 3-pointer in the final seconds cut the Ole Miss lead to 44-35 at break.
In all, six Auburn players scored in double figures with Williams (16), Broome (15), Baker-Mazara (15), Johnson (11), Jones (11) and Donaldson (10). It's the first time six Tigers scored in double figures in an SEC game since 2022 against Georgia.
"I think it's the key to our season," Pearl said. "I think as much as anything they're beginning to have confidence in each other now. K.D. can make a difference coming off the bench at any time. Chad Baker-Mazara is a really good player that's so versatile with the way he plays on both ends of the floor. In the first half when Jaylin Williams didn't play as great, Chaney Johnson is out there playing and defending and making plays.
"We took a step tonight. We'll see if we can take another step on Wednesday when we play the first-place team. We'll be playing for first place in February. It's good."
With the win, Auburn has now won six straight over Ole Miss in the series. Next up for the Tigers (18-4, 7-2) is a rematch against Alabama, the SEC's top team, in Neville Arena on Wednesday night. The game will tip off at 6 p.m. CT.
OLE MISS POSTGAME NOTES
» With the win, Auburn now leads 83-64 in the all-time series with Ole Miss including six-straight wins over the Rebels. Ole Miss leads 43-28 in games played in Oxford, but the Tigers have won three straight games in Oxford and lead 5-4 in the SJB Pavilion.
» Auburn swept Ole Miss in the regular-season series for the 23rd time including the fifth time in the last seven seasons and the third straight season. The Tigers, who defeated the Rebels, 82-59, at Neville Arena on Jan. 20, have won consecutive games in the series by double figures for the first time since winning 74-59 at Ole Miss and 95-66 at Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum in 1999.
» Head Coach Bruce Pearl improved to 15-11 in his career against Ole Miss including 10-9 at Auburn. Pearl is 6-6 in road games lifetime against the Rebels including 5-4 while at Auburn.
» Auburn improved to 18-4 and 7-2 in SEC play with its third conference road win on the season. It was the fourth time in the last seven seasons and the 10th time in program history the Tigers have started at least 18-4.
» Auburn handed Ole Miss its first home loss in 14 games in Oxford under first-year head coach Chris Beard making the Tigers (11-0) the only SEC team that remains undefeated at home this season.
» Auburn's 91 points was the Tigers' most points in an SEC road game since they scored 109 points at South Carolina in 2021. It was the most points for Auburn against Ole Miss since scoring 95 points against the Rebels in Auburn in 1999 and the most in Oxford since scoring 96 points in 1992.
» Auburn won Saturday's game after trailing 42-29 in the first half. The 13-point comeback victory is the Tigers' largest come-from-behind win of the season, topping their 12-point comeback against Indiana on Dec. 9. It was Auburn's largest comeback victory since overcoming a 14-point deficit to win at Ole Miss in 2022.
» Auburn shot 54.7 percent (35-of-64) from the floor including 73.3 percent (22-of-30) in the second half. It was the third-highest field-goal percentage of the season and second-best in an SEC game, only behind the Tigers' 58.2 percent (32-of-55) shooting in the first meeting with Ole Miss. Auburn shot 67-of-119 (56.3 pct.) in two wins over the Rebels this season.
» Auburn shot 12-of-27 from long range, setting a new SEC season high for 3-pointers and just two off the Tigers' overall season high of 14 3-point field goals against Indiana. It was the seventh time this season Auburn has made double-digit 3-pointers including back-to-back and the third time in SEC play. Eight different players made a 3-pointer for Auburn on Saturday.
» Auburn recorded 25 assists on 35 made baskets in the win, which ties the Tigers' season high from the Indiana game on Dec. 9. It tied as the second-most assists by any team in an SEC game and tied for the most in a league road game this season – 27 by Kentucky vs. Georgia, 25 by Tennessee vs. Ole Miss and 25 by South Carolina at Georgia. Eight different players recorded an assist for Auburn on Saturday.
» Auburn matched its SEC season high with 14 offensive rebounds, leading to 15 second-chance points.
» Auburn had six players score in double figures for the second time this season and the first time since the Indiana game on Dec. 9, including 16 points from Jaylin Williams, 15 points apiece from Johni Broome and Chad Baker-Mazara, 11 points each for Denver Jones and K.D. Johnson and 10 points from Tre Donaldson. It was the first time six Tigers scored in double figures in an SEC game since doing so against Georgia in 2022.
» Williams scored in double figures for the 14th time this season and the 56th time of his career. He was 6-of-11 from the floor, including one 3-pointer, and 3-of-4 from the free-throw line. Williams finished with five rebounds and two assists in the win.
» Broome added nine rebounds and a career-high seven assists. It was Broome's 13th-straight game, and his 103rd career game, in double figures. He is averaging 16.1 points on 57.3 percent shooting from the floor after going 7-of-13 against the Rebels and 8.9 rebounds in his last 13 games. He blocked three shots on the day, and he has now blocked a shot in 16 of the last 17 games including 13 games with multiple blocks. Broome has blocked 16 shots over his last four games.
» Baker-Mazara scored in double figures for the fifth time in SEC play and the 11th time overall this season. He went 5-of-10 from the floor, 3-of-6 from long range and 2-of-2 from the free-throw line, and he recorded a career-high nine rebounds, two assists and one block at Ole Miss.
» Jones scores in double figures for the second-straight game going 4-of-8 from the floor, including 2-of-5 from long range, and he added three rebounds, one assist and one steal in the win. Jones is averaging 15.0 points on 6-of-13 3-pointers in his last two games.
» Johnson recorded his sixth game in double figures this season, including the second in SEC play, with a perfect shooting performance of 4-of-4 field goals, one 3-pointer, and 2-of-2 from the foul line to go with three assists, two rebounds and a steal in the win at Ole Miss. He and Baker-Mazara both scored in double figures off the bench as Auburn scored 36 bench points on the day.
» Donaldson finished 4-of-8 from the floor and 2-of-3 from long range. He added six assists, one steal and only one turnover in the win at Ole Miss. It was his seventh game in double figures this season including three in SEC play. He also made his sixth career start in a Tiger uniform.
