Hot-shooting Tigers knock off Ole Miss

OXFORD, Miss. — Auburn has struggled this season in the Southeastern Conference — with one exception.

Quan Prowell scored 25 points as Auburn whipped Ole Miss, 90-78, on Saturday, sweeping the season series between the clubs and snapping a five-game losing streak. Two of the Tigers’ three SEC wins have come against the Rebels, a team once ranked as high as 17th.

“I don’t think there’s any particular reason, other than we’ve shot well both times we’ve played them,” Auburn coach Jeff Lebo said of the Tigers’ dominance over Ole Miss. “We have to shoot like that if we’re going to win games.”

The Tigers (13-10, 3-7 SEC) shot a season-high 62.7 percent from the field and hit 10-of-20 from 3-point range. Prowell was 11-of-15 from the field and added five assists, four steals and four rebounds.

“Obviously we’ve got no answer for Quan Prowell,” Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy said. “But it wasn’t just one man today. They got to us everywhere.”

Prowell scored 26 against Ole Miss last year in Oxford.

“On the way up here, I just wanted to pick up where I left off,” Prowell said. “Today I thought we caught the good end of the stick.”

Dewayne Reed had a season-high 23 points for the Tigers, while Rasheem Barrett and Frank Tolbert added 15 apiece. Quantez Robertson added a season-high 10 assists and eight rebounds.

“When you make shots, it’s like taking an energy tablet,” Lebo said. “Our energy was there. I’m proud of our team, and when you shoot well, you can change defenses.”

The Rebels (17-7, 3-7) have had trouble with those shifting defenses. They’ve lost four straight and six of their last seven in the SEC, and are 4-7 since their school-record 13-0 start.

Trevor Gaskins led the Rebels with 15 points off the bench, while David Huertas and Eniel Polynice had 13 points apiece. Ole Miss’ leading scorers, Chris Warren and Dwayne Curtis, were held to eight points apiece.

“We were able to keep Warren and Curtis from being factors in the game,” Lebo said. “Both are very good players. Changing defenses made it harder for them.”

Auburn led by as much as 13 in the first half, but still trailed, 43-42, at halftime. Ole Miss closed the first half with a 19-9 run in the final 5 minutes, highlighted by 11 points from Huertas.

After the Rebels built a 4-point lead with 18:18 left in the game, the Tigers responded with an 18-6 spurt that gave them a lead they never surrendered. Barrett had a pair of 3-point shots in the decisive surge.

The Tigers never let the Rebels get closer than 7 points in the final 8 minutes. Auburn was 16-of-23 from the free throw line, including 9-of-12 by Reed, and turned the ball over only 13 times.

“We just didn’t respond in the second half when we hit adversity,” Kennedy said. “The buck stops with me and I take responsibility for that. We just haven’t responded to adversity like I thought we would.”