The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebels Look to Tame 17th-ranked Tigers
6/21/1999 | Women's Basketball
January 27, 1999
Auburn (15-3, 5-2 SEC) has won two games in a row and 10 of its last 11, including a 57-46 win over Mississippi State on Sunday. The Tigers were led by Tasha Hamilton, who scored 13 of her team-high 15 points in the second half. The Tigers led by eight at the half and their lead never dropped below five points after the break. Auburn sealed the win with a 13-4 run that gave the Tigers their biggest lead of the game at 52-37 with 3:05 remaining.
"This was a hard-fought game," Hamilton said. "Mississippi State was very physical underneath the basket. They were very aggressive and played a good game.
"It's always important to get an SEC win. We came in fired up and ready to play, and we were able to get the victory."
Mississippi (12-6, 3-4) has lost two of its last three games, including an 81-43 loss at fourth-ranked Georgia on Sunday. The Rebels' worst loss of the season was a 41-point defeat to No. 1 Tennessee on Dec. 29.
The Rebels made three of their first six shots to take a 7-4 lead over Georgia, then went the next 11:36 without a field goal. Mississippi shot 24 percent in the first half and 25 percent for the entire game.
"I knew we went through a long drought in the first half," Rebels coach Ron Aldy said. "But I didn't realize it was that long. We hit a very poor percentage of our shots."
Auburn leads the all-time series 18-15. The Tigers have won four of the last five meetings, including three straight.
