NASHVILLE – As the final seconds ticked away Saturday, Chad Baker-Mazara stood at halfcourt, smiled up at the pro-Auburn crowd in Bridgestone Arena and called for applause. He and his teammates were just about to clinch a spot in the championship game of the SEC Tournament.
It wasn't easy. It was physical, even chippy at times, but No. 12 Auburn made enough plays late to earn a 73-66 over Mississippi State in the semifinals.
"It was a rock fight because both teams were playing really, really physical," Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. "That's Mississippi State's MO. Our MO is playing hard all the time, not always quite as physical. They beat us on the boards, but we hung in there. We hung in there. I thought that was really important."
Auburn and Mississippi State looked even in the first half, playing to a 31-31 tie after 20 minutes. The Tigers pulled ahead in the second half, but Mississippi State battled back with a 7-0 run to close the gap to one (57-56) with five minutes to go.
Dylan Cardwell knew Auburn needed a play. So, he made one, and another, and another.
First, Cardwell threw down a two-hand slam to stop Mississippi State's run. On the next possession, he stepped out and blocked a 3-point shot and then took off running the other way. Jaylin Williams grabbed the loose ball and threw it the length of the court to Cardwell who caught it under the basket and dunked it again.
"To be honest, that was really a game changer," Baker-Mazara said. "I feel like that gave us a spark. It helped get the crowd involved, too. It was a really big play. He came in, basically came in clutch, and turned the whole momentum around."
Baker-Mazara followed with a couple big shots of his own, knocking down a midrange jumper and then draining a clutch 3-pointer from the corner as the shot clock was running out to make it 66-60 with 1:58 remaining.
The junior-college transfer led the Tigers with 14 points and was one of five Auburn players to score in double figures in what was another testament to the team's balance and depth.
It was Auburn's first win all season by fewer than 11 points.
"It was good to be in a close game," Pearl said. "I thought down the stretch obviously we didn't turn the ball over late, and we made our free throws. We got the ball to Jaylin Williams, Chad Baker-Mazara, and they did a great job closing it out."
Williams made a couple of free throws in the final minute when it was still a one-possession game to help seal the victory. He and Denver Jones scored 13 points apiece, and Williams chipped in four rebounds, four assists and two blocks. Jones helped Auburn get a lead in the second half with a pair of tough buckets in the first five minutes.
Johni Broome started the second half with a 3-pointer and kept his double-digit scoring streak alive with 10 points. He's now scored 10 or more points in 24 straight games. He also matched Cardwell for the team lead with three blocks.
Tre Donaldson scored eight of his 10 points in the first half and was instrumental in keeping the Tigers close when some of his teammates were struggling to get going.
"We have teams that are going to take away Johni and J-Will (Williams), so just being able to step up and do that, it felt great," Donaldson said. "Just being able to have my teammates' back, that's the biggest thing."
With the win, Auburn advanced to the SEC championship game for the fifth time in program history and the first time since 2019 when the Tigers won the tournament title.
Auburn will face Florida in Sunday's final. Tipoff is slated for noon CT.
"There's a lot on the line tomorrow," Pearl said. "It's an opportunity for anybody here to make some kind of special history. We're still in position to make history."
MISSISSIPPI STATE POSTGAME NOTES
» Auburn notched its 26th win of the season and its fifth straight with a 73-66 win over Mississippi State in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament. It's the fifth time the Tigers have won 26 games in a season including the fourth time in the last seven seasons.
» With the win, AU advanced to the championship game for the fifth time in program history (1984, 1985, 2000 and 2019) and the second time under head coach Bruce Pearl. The seven-point win was Auburn's first victory of the season by fewer than 11 points.
» With the win, Auburn now leads 83-71 in the all-time series with Mississippi State. The Tigers have now won eight of the last nine in the series including two of three this season. Auburn leads 5-3 against the Bulldogs at neutral sites including 3-2 in SEC Tournament games. The last time the Tigers defeated Mississippi State in the SEC Tournament, they went on to win their second tournament title in program history in 2019.
» Auburn improved to 32-40 all-time in the SEC Tournament since its renewal in 1979. Overall, the Tigers are 36-57.
» Auburn is now 9-6 in eight SEC Tournament appearances under Coach Pearl.
» The Tigers shot 50.0 percent (25-of-50) from the floor in their win over Mississippi State. They are 11-0 this season when shooting at least 50 percent in a game including 8-0 against SEC opponents and 2-0 against the Bulldogs after they also shot 50.0 percent in their win over Mississippi State on March 2.
» Auburn held Mississippi State to 3-of-15 from long range. The Bulldogs are the 14th opponent the Tigers have held to under 30 percent shooting from deep this season including 10 SEC opponents. Auburn has held South Carolina and Mississippi State to 6-of-27 (22.2 percent) from 3-point range in the Tigers' two SEC Tournament wins.
» The Tigers had five players score in double figures in their SEC Tournament semifinal win over Mississippi State led by Chad Baker-Mazara's 14 points. He went 4-of-8 from the floor, including 1-of-2 from deep, and 5-of-6 from the free-throw line. CBM also added four rebounds, two steals and one assist on the day. It was his 19th game in double figures on the season including his 10th in the last 13 contests.
» Denver Jones and Jaylin Williams each scored 13 points in Saturday's win over Mississippi State. Jones made 5-of-10 field goals, 1-of-4 3-pointers and 2-of-3 from the foul line against the Bulldogs. He also added four rebounds in the victory. It was Jones' ninth game in double figures over the last 13 games.
» For Williams, it was his 63rd career game in double figures including 21 this season and five in the last six games. He made 4-of-7 field goals, 1-of-3 from deep and 4-of-4 from the charity stripe in the win, while adding four rebounds, four assists and two blocks. Williams scored in double figures in all three games against Mississippi State this season averaging 11.0 points per game against the Bulldogs.
» Tre Donaldson and Johni Broome each chipped in 10 points in the victory. It was Donaldson's first game in double figures, since he scored 11 points against South Carolina on Feb. 14. For the season, he has 10 double-figure scoring games and 12 for his career.
» Broome scored in double figures for the 24th straight time after making 4-of-8 shots from the floor including 1-of-3 from long range and 4-of-4 from the foul line. He added three rebounds, three blocks and two assists on the afternoon.
» Broome now has 74 blocked shots on the season, which is seventh all-time at Auburn, while his 152 career blocks place him eighth on the school's career blocks list -- one behind Dylan Cardwell, who also blocked three shots against Mississippi State on Saturday. Cardwell ranks seventh all-time on the school's career blocks list.