The Ole Miss Rebels ended their longest losing streak in more than two decades Saturday night, earning a gritty 85-79 road victory over the Auburn Tigers at Neville Arena and dealing a serious blow to Auburn’s already fragile NCAA Tournament hopes.
Ole Miss (12-17, 4-12 SEC) entered the contest having lost 10 straight but delivered one of its most efficient shooting performances of the season, connecting on 31 of 58 attempts from the field (53.4%).
AJ Storr and Patton Pinkins paced the Rebels with 26 points each. Storr provided a spark off the bench, shooting 9-for-15 while adding four assists. Pinkins was nearly flawless, going 8-for-10 overall and 4-for-5 from beyond the arc. Malik Dia chipped in 10 points.
For Auburn (15-14, 6-10 SEC), Keyshawn Hall scored 21 points, hitting 9 of 10 free throws. Tahaad Pettiford added 24, Elyjah Freeman contributed 15 and Kevin Overton finished with 10.
After Auburn grabbed an early second-half advantage, Ole Miss surged with a decisive 22-4 run, turning a tight contest into a 67-55 lead with 7:32 remaining. The Tigers closed the gap late but were unable to regain control.
James Scott sealed the win with a highlight-reel alley-oop putback dunk his exclamation point on a night that also included a season-high four blocks — stretching the lead to seven in the final minute.
Ole Miss’ bench played a pivotal role, outscoring Auburn’s reserves 28-4, fueled largely by Storr’s impact.
Both teams started efficiently. The Rebels hit seven of their first eight shots, while the Tigers converted six of their first eight. Auburn responded to an early deficit with a 14-2 run, capped by an acrobatic layup from Filip Jovic to take a 31-25 lead late in the first half.
However, Ole Miss closed the half on an 8-0 run to carry a 38-37 edge into the break. The Rebels shot a scorching 59.3% in the opening half, with Dia, Storr and Pinkins all reaching double figures before halftime.
Auburn shot 53.8% in the first half, led by Hall’s 10 points.
The victory also snapped Ole Miss’ 10-game losing streak against Auburn, marking its first win in the series since an 86-84 overtime triumph on Feb. 6, 2021.
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