AUBURN, Ala. -– Chris Denson
scored 18 points off the bench and Marshall Henderson made two foul
shots with 6.4 seconds remaining as Auburn dropped a 63-61 heartbreaker
to No. 23 Ole Miss on Saturday in Auburn Arena. The Rebels went 11-of-24
from 3-point range.
"I am disappointed in the loss, but I am proud of the way they fought in this game," Auburn head coach Tony Barbee
said. "It is like I told the guys, we all wanted to win. They were
fighting their tails off to win, but it is a key indication that when we
don't care who gets the glory and we are doing this together and doing
it for each other, we are a pretty good team. I am disappointed in the
loss. We had our opportunities. The game wasn't lost on that last play."
Frankie Sullivan
went to the line with 1:20 remaining in the game and sank both for a
one-point deficit. The Tigers then came up with a steal and Denson
knocked down 1-of-2 at the stripe to tie game at 61 with a minute to go.
Auburn (8-11, 2-4) got the ball back with 34.9 remaining after a
defensive stop and took its final timeout. Blocked shots on both ends of
the floor set the stage for an Ole Miss inbounds play under its own
basket with just 6.4 seconds remaining.
Before the ball was passed inbounds, Shaquille Johnson
was called for a foul on Ole Miss' Henderson and the SEC scoring leader
knocked down two free throws just 6.4 seconds on the clock. Josh Wallace,
who finished with nine points and two assists and zero turnovers, got
the ball up the floor for Auburn, but Sullivan's desperation 3-point
attempt was short.
Auburn opened up a 9-0 lead in the first two minutes after a pull-up
jumper by Sullivan. Denson's runner made it 11-2 with 15:34 on the clock
in the first half. Mississippi (17-2, 6-0) answered with a 9-0 run to
tie things at 11 with 13:19 remaining, thanks to three straight
3-pointers by Henderson.
A triple by Noel Johnson
capped another 9-0 run for the Tigers and gave them a 29-20 lead with
5:21 to go before halftime. Chris Denson's put-back of a Josh Wallace layup gave Auburn its first double-digit lead of the night, 33-23.
With Auburn leading by 10, the Rebels closed the first half on an 8-0
run and Aaron Jones banked in a 3-pointer, his first of the season in
two attempts, as time expired before the break to cut the Tigers' lead
to 33-31.
Ole Miss took its first lead since 16-15 with 10 minutes to go in the
first half on a 3-pointer by LaDarius White for a 40-38 lead with 15:31
to play. Henderson's fourth 3-pointer made it 43-38 Ole Miss with 13:46
remaining in the game.
White led the Rebels with 17 points. Henderson, who came in leading
the SEC with 19.4 points per game, added 15 points on 4-of-15 shooting
from the floor. Jarvis Summers scored 14 points.
A 3-pointer by Shaq Johnson
ended an 8-0 run by Ole Miss, and a three-point play by Wallace closed
the Tigers to within 47-45 with 11:09 remaining. Two free throws by
Denson tied the game at 47 and his layup made it an 11-4 run and
two-point lead for the Tigers.
White's 3-pointer answered the Auburn burst and put the Rebels back
in control, 50-49, with eight minutes remaining. With 6:08 left in the
game, Sullivan's second 3-pointer closed Auburn to within 53-52.
Rob Chubb
posted 10 rebounds and four blocks, while Sullivan scored 12 points
with seven rebounds. Led by Denson, the Auburn bench outscored the
Rebels' reserves 24-10.
Ole Miss shot 4-of-17 from the free throw line. Ole Miss outshot
Auburn from the floor, 43.6 percent to 36.4 percent and the Rebels went
11-of-24 from 3-point range to the Tigers' 6-of-24.
The Tigers are in action next on Wednesday at Georgia at 6 p.m. on CSS.
Source: www.auburntigers.com
Auburn's Chris Denson defends Ole Miss guard Derrick Millinghaus on Saturday night. (abc3340.com)
Ole Miss forward Aaron Jones dunks in his team's 63-61 victory over Auburn on Saturday night. (abc3340.com)
