Ole Miss Rebels at Auburn Tigers

Moody scores 23, Ole Miss holds off Auburn 69-59

He lived up to his billing as the highest per-game scorer in the SEC, pouring in 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting to propel Ole Miss past Auburn on Saturday 69-59.

The Rebels got off to a slow start as Auburn jumped out to a 9-4 lead in the first couple of minutes. But they outscored the Tigers 31-17 over the next 10 minutes, and took a 40-33 lead into the half.

Auburn started to chip away at the lead in the second half, but every time the Tigers canned a 3 or converted a layup, Moody and the Rebels were right there to extend the lead once more.

Moody led everyone in scoring, but Marcanvis Hymon and Tomasz Gielo each poured in double-digit points, including Gielo's three 3-pointers that stunted Auburn runs.

Auburn outrebounded Ole Miss by 10, but the key to coach Andy Kennedy's squad winning lied in the defense. He continually switched up the defensive looks he threw at the Tigers who are without a true point guard following the departure of Kareem Canty.

"When you're going up against a team that changes defense like Ole Miss does," Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said, "You have to go from breaking pressure and attack mode to getting yourself organized and getting into some structure, and we didn't as a team."

Ole Miss forced 16 turnovers, largely in part because Kennedy schemed to keep Cinmeon Bowers' playmaking ability in check.

Tyler Harris led Auburn with 13 points and pulled in seven rebounds, but he exited the game with 16:36 to play after getting hammered on a layup and suffering a concussion. After Harris went to the locker room, the Tigers could feel the game slip away.

"It was hard, man," Bowers said. "I just felt like we gave up a little bit with like 10 minutes left."

Auburn was aided by the return of guard Dunans who had been out since December with a knee injury he suffered against Harvard. He was just 3 for 7 from the field and had four turnovers, as he consistently drew the assignment of guarding Moody.

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TIP-INS

Ole Miss: The Rebels have won eight in a row against Auburn, dating back to 2012.

Auburn: Tyler Harris, according to Pearl, suffered a concussion in the second half. He will be evaluated soon.

COOLING OFF

Bryce Brown and TJ Lang combined to shoot 14-20 from beyond the arc in Auburn's win against Arkansas on Wednesday, but the two shot just 4-16 on Saturday. Brown set a school record for points by a freshman with 27, but managed just nine points against Ole Miss.

UP NEXT

Ole Miss hosts Missouri on Tuesday.

Auburn hosts Georgia on Wednesday.

How can I watch Ole Miss vs. Auburn?

• TV Channel: Ole Miss at Auburn 2021 College Basketball, week 15, is broadcasted on SEC Network.
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