Johni Broome totaled 20 points and 12 rebounds for his 13th double-double this season, and top-ranked Auburn remained perfect on its SEC slate with a 92-82 win over No. 23 Ole Miss on Saturday afternoon in Oxford, Miss.
Leading 79-75 with 1:33 left, Broome converted a 3-point play for breathing room as the Tigers (20-1, 8-0 Southeastern Conference) beat the Rebels for the seventh straight time.
Chad Baker-Mazara scored 18 points, while Denver Jones and Miles Kelly had 16 and 15, respectively.
Dylan Cardwell produced 10 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and two steals as Auburn won its 13th consecutive match and moved to 5-0 on the road in conference play.
The Rebels (16-6, 5-4) got a strong showing from leading scorer Sean Pedulla, who had a season-high 29 points plus five rebounds and three steals. Matthew Murrell had 17 points. Jaemyn Brakefield collected 12 and five boards.
The No. 1 squad according to the AP, Coaches Top 25 and NET Rankings, Auburn streaked out to a 6-1 advantage before the Rebels got their footing and forced five turnovers to head out on a 9-0 run and a 10-6 lead at 16:27 of the first half.
Broome left the game at the five-minute mark after a hard foul by Jaylen Murray appeared to shake up the 6-foot-10 SEC Player of the Year favorite, who entered as the conference’s second-leading scorer and top rebounder.
The standout senior returned as the Tigers went on a 9-0 stretch that put them up 21-14 at 9:43 following Jones’ two free throws.
Each netting 13 points in the half, Jones and Broome turned a one-point lead in the final minute into a seven-point one with a trey apiece, with Broome gesturing to the crowd as Auburn trotted to the locker room up 41-34.
The visitors made half of their shots — 15 of 30 — and sank 8 of 15 from long range (53.3 percent) and held a 22-12 rebound edge at the break.
Auburn led by as many as nine in the second half, but Ole Miss trimmed it to 59-58 at 8:05 on Murray’s two free throws.
–Field Level Media
