Mississippi State
18-5, 5-3
Auburn
13-10, 3-6
No. 19 State Holds Off Auburn, 91-88
February 04, 2012 | Men's Basketball
Preparing for a second-half run at the Southeastern Conference regular season championship, the 19th-rankeed Bulldogs kicked off a three-game homestand with a 91-88 win over Auburn Saturday afternoon in the Humphrey Coliseum
With the victory, the Bulldogs improved to 18-5 overall and 5-3 in league play. Auburn fell to 13-10 at 3-6. At the midway mark of the conference schedule, the Bulldogs now stand in a two-way tie with Vanderbilt for third place in the conference standings.
MSU has won 11 of the last 12 series meetings with Auburn on the Bulldogs' home floor.
"They got on a roll and made some shots," MSU head coach Rick Stansbury said. "They got to the foul line more than anybody else did against us all year long. We had our chances to stretch the lead late and couldn't make free throws."
Auburn had its best offensive afternoon of the season. The Tigers hit 45.9 percent of their shots from the floor, while scoring a season-best 88 points. Auburn's previous best scoring mark in regulation time of a conference game was 63 points in a win over South Carolina.
"Anytime in this league, you will take a victory," Stansbury said. "We did everything well on the offensive end, minus the free throw shooting. When you hit 60 percent of your shots and score 91 points, you should be in good shape."
After a nip-and-tuck first half, the Bulldogs finally found separation in the early stages of the second half. There were seven ties in the first half before a 3-pointer by Kenny Gabriel gave Auburn a 44-43 halftime lead.
In that first half, the Bulldogs hit 17-of-27 shots for 63 percent shooting. Auburn hit 15-of-28 shots for 53.6 percent shooting. Auburn only had two first-half turnovers, while the lead switched hands seven times.
MSU' s Dee Bost hit three consecutive 3-point baskets to start the second half. The Bulldogs suddenly grabbed a 52-44 lead with 17:11 left in the contest.
A 3-pointer by Jalen Steele ran the lead to 59-48 with 14:33 left. The Bulldogs would push the lead to 13 on another Steele 3-point basket.
Auburn battled back within six points on a dunk by Allen Payne with 9:23 left. The Tigers closed within five twice but got no closer until the final 10 seconds of the contest.
For the contest, the Bulldogs hit 29 of 48 shots from the field (season-best 60.4 percent), 12 of 19 shots from 3-point range (63.2 percent) and 21 of 35 shots from the foul line (60.0 percent). The Tigers hit 28 of 61 shots from the field (45.9 percent), 6 of 20 shots from 3-point range (30.0 percent) and 26 of 36 shots from the foul line (72.2 percent).
Auburn held a 34-32 rebounding advantage. The Bulldogs had 21 assists and 10 turnovers, while the Tigers had 10 assists and three turnovers. MSU did miss 14 second-half free throws.
Arnett Moultrie led MSU with 21 points. Renardo Sidney followed with 17 points, Bost had 15 points, Steele had 13 points and Rodney Hood had 11 points. Brian Bryant had a career-high nine assists in 32 minutes off the bench, while Bost had seven assists.
Gabriel posted a double-double for Auburn with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Varez Ward had a team-high 24 points, while Frankie Sullivan scored 16 points.
MSU hosts Ole Miss at 6 p.m. Thursday. The Bulldogs and Rebels will play on either ESPN or ESPN2. The homestand closes with Georgia at 12:30 p.m. Saturday on the SEC Network.
