.png&width=48&height=48&type=webp)
The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
9-7,1-3SEC
Auburn
16-1,5-0SEC
Rebels’ Upset Bid Falls Short to No. 4 Auburn, 80-71
1/15/2022 | Men's Basketball
Tye Fagan Finishes Night with 17 Points on 6-of-11 Shooting
OXFORD, Miss. – The Ole Miss men's basketball team came up short in its upset bid against No. 4 Auburn, as the Tigers' defense proved to be too much in the second half as the Rebels fell, 80-71, at SJB Pavilion on Saturday night.
Hot shooting by the Rebels (9-7, 1-3 SEC) in the first half gave Ole Miss a six-point lead into the half, with the team shooting 56.7 percent overall and 50 percent from three. However, the defensive prowess of Auburn (16-1, 5-0 SEC) caused havoc for the Rebels down the stretch, with the Tigers forcing nine second half turnovers while recording six steals and six blocks in the final 20 minutes of action.
"I'm proud of our team. I thought in that first 18 and a half minutes when we led by 12 or 13, how physical we played, how we guarded. We ran a really crisp offense against a really good defensive team," said Ole Miss head coach Kermit Davis. "Give Auburn credit with their rim protection in the second half. I thought we got the ball in some really good places and then their length really bothered us. (Walker) Kessler did a really good job. We had some pockets of some really good play, but just a disappointing loss for our team."
To open the game, the Rebels battled back-and-forth with the Tigers with the lead swapping hands a total of 12 times in the opening 7:15 of play. However, the Rebels found an early spark behind the offense of senior guard Tye Fagan, as the Rebs would go on a 17-4 run from 12:24 to 7:25 to give the Rebels a 35-22 edge over Auburn.
Ole Miss would also find early success down low in the post from center Nysier Brooks, as the Philadelphia native would net 10 points in the opening half on 5-of-7 shooting. However, a late push 11-4 from Auburn to close the half kept the game within the Tigers' reach.
To open the second half, Auburn would come out swinging behind the scoring of Wendell Green Jr. and paint presence of Kessler as the Tigers clawed their way back into the game before earning back the lead with 12:08 to play in the second. This marked the Tigers' first lead since the team led 16-15 at the 13-minute mark of the first half.
The momentum would remain in the Tigers' favor to close out the night, with Auburn holding a lead as large as 11 on Ole Miss to close out the game. Green would go on to finish with 14 points for the Tigers, while Kessler would log a stat line of 20 points, 10 rebounds, an Ole Miss opponent season-high seven blocks and four steals.
Four Rebels finished in double figures: Tye Fagan (17 points), Nysier Brooks (14 points), Matthew Murrell (13 points), Jaemyn Brakefield (10 points).
Ole Miss will have a quick turnaround, as the Rebels will host Missouri (7-9, 1-3 SEC) at SJB Pavilion on Tuesday night with tipoff set at 6 p.m. CT on ESPNU.
For the latest news and updates regarding Ole Miss Men's Basketball, follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissMBB, on Facebook at Ole Miss Men's Basketball and on Instagram at olemissmbb.
