In March, it’s all about the madness. And in the midst of the madness, No. 12 seed Auburn will live to fight another day.
Kevin Overton finished with 22 points as four other Tigers notched double figures in a 79-61 first-round SEC Tournament win over No. 13 seed Mississippi State on Wednesday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.
“The guys did a great job of responding and beating a good team that knocked us off a few weeks ago,” said Auburn head coach Steven Pearl.
Overton made six 3-pointers and added five assists, four rebounds and zero turnovers in 36 minutes of action. His six 3-pointers set a new school record for made threes in the SEC Tournament.
“Just trusting my work. Shoot the same shots pretty much all the time,” said Overton, who has recorded 20-plus points four of his last five games. “Fortunately, they’re going in right now.”
KeShawn Murphy recorded 15 points and seven rebounds against his former team.
“Obviously that game meant a lot to Murph, especially after what Hubbard did to us in the first game,” said Pearl.
Making 6 of 7 shots from the floor, Murphy grabbed nine rebounds and added four steals, two assists, and two blocked shots with a +28 stat line.
“It was important to me,” Murphy said. “The coaches were telling me to be who you are and do what you do. That played a big role in my start to finish.”
Keyshawn Hall scored 14 points and Tahaad Pettiford added 13 while tying Overton with five assists. Elyjah Freeman grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds for the Tigers.
Auburn trailed 33-30 at the break and after Mississippi State shot out of the gates in the second half with a quick 5-0 burst, it seemed disaster was on the horizon. But Auburn quickly evened the score after an 8-0 run, and Overton connected on at trio of shots from beyond the arc to give the Tigers a 46-40 lead.
Overton splashed another trifecta to cap a 13-0 Auburn run, giving the Tigers an 11-point lead.
Josh Hubbard, who finished his night with 22 points on 8-of-25 shooting, connected on a layup with nearly five minutes remaining to cut the Auburn lead to three, but the Tigers outscored their counterparts 19-4 the rest of the way.
In the first half, Auburn shot out to a 7-2 lead after winning the tip as Murphy scored all seven points. After nailing a 3-pointer, he drew his second foul, this one a technical after jawing at his former bench, and was sidelined for much of the first half.
Hubbard scored 13 points in the half as Mississippi State outrebounded the Tigers, recorded 10 more second-chance points, and held an 18-6 advantage in the paint in the first half.
Auburn ended the first stanza on a 7-0 run to stay within fighting distance.
The Tigers will play fifth-seeded Tennessee Thursday at 2 p.m. CT. on Thursday.
“They punked us the first time,” Pearl said. “They’re going to challenge your toughness and you’ve got to respond. You’ve got to answer the bell. Tomorrow is going to be a fight. Our guys have to step up to the challenge and show a different level of toughness this time around to beat a really good Tennessee team.” TG
